This story originally appeared on The Advocate.
New Hampshire voters have elected Chris Pappas to the U.S. Senate, making the Democratic congressman the first out gay man elected to the chamber and preserving a Senate seat for his party.
Pappas handily defeated Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu, according to Decision Desk HQ, which called the race at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.
With 22 percent of votes counted, Pappas led Sununu 60 percent to 37 percent.
Related: Gay Senate candidate Chris Pappas: The government shouldn’t limit trans people’s health care
He will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Sununu held the seat from 2003 to 2009, losing to Shaheen in 2008.
Pappas was first elected to the House in 2018, becoming New Hampshire’s first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress. His House record includes support for the Equality Act, legislation to prohibit the gay and transgender “panic” defense, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ veterans.
In a 2025 interview with The Advocate, he described representation as part of a broader commitment to serving his state.
“To me, I’ve never sought to make history,” he said then.
Related: Gay U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas announces Senate bid
His LGBTQ+ record has also faced scrutiny. Pappas supported the 2024 defense authorization bill despite a provision restricting Tricare coverage of gender-affirming care for transgender minors. He told The Advocate that he opposed that provision but backed the larger legislation because of defense investments, including support for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
The victory moves that record to a chamber with power over federal legislation, judicial confirmations, and executive branch appointments. For New Hampshire, the result maintains Democratic control of Shaheen’s seat. For LGBTQ+ Americans, it breaks a barrier that remained even after out LGBTQ+ women had won election to the Senate.
