In Race for New Hampshire’s Swing Congressional District, Pappas and Edwards to Face Off
Republican Eddie Edwards, right, and Democrat Chris Pappas will face off for the 1st Congressional District on November 6. Photo courtesy of NHPR
The battle for New Hampshire’s 1st District Congressional seat is officially set: It will be Republican Eddie Edwards vs. Democrat Chris Pappas in November.
It was a hard fought – often negative – campaign on both sides of the aisle, and voters certainly had their work cut out for them.
After years of electing the same two candidates — Republican Frank Guinta and Democrat Carol Shea Porter — this cycle, voters in both parties were faced with crowded primary ballots.
Republicans faced five choices, and Democrats had to choose from a historic 11-candidate field.
For Democrat Anne Ketterer, a Manchester resident, that long list made for an agonizing decision. One of the candidates, Chris Pappas is her Executive Councilor, and she trusts him. But she’s also friends with another candidate, Maura Sullivan.
“I also adore Naomi Andrews – she’s wonderful!” Ketterer said Tuesday night, ticking through other Democrats running for the 1st District seat. “I personally know Deaglan McEachern. I love Deaglan! And I’m not the only one who struggled with today’s decision. Now – what it came down to was the hometown boy.”
And in the end, it was that hometown boy and Manchester native Pappas, who won big. Pappas took home more than 40 percent of the vote, a decisive victory in such a crowded field. Sullivan followed next, with 30 percent, and Rep. Mindi Messmer finished in third with 9 percent.