A few weeks ago, Congressman Chris Pappas stopped by the Portsmouth Fire Station for a demonstration of new rescue equipment. Oxygen tanks equipped with bluetooth-enabled masks chirped as firefighters showed Pappas the latest in life-saving technology.
“As we think about some of these local needs here, there’s a lot of aging equipment,” Pappas told Portsmouth Fire Chief Bill McQuillen.
The new gear, along with additional money for training programs, were funded through a federal grant, the type of bread-and-butter government spending that’s hard to quarrel with.
And as far as political self-promotion goes, Pappas’s stop wasn’t aimed at producing viral content or juicing his fundraising. But for more than 20 years in politics — six of them in Congress — this style has worked for Pappas: low-key, local, controlled. And as he seeks reelection to a potential fourth term in D.C. this November, Pappas is banking that this model will earn him another victory — and, in the process, make him the most successful Democrat in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District in more than four decades.
Finding his way to the center of his party
Dante Scala, a political scientist at UNH, says the Pappas strategy is to be perceived as a “no drama guy” who delivers results. Look no further than the congressional committees Pappas sits on, Scala said: infrastructure, small businesses, and veterans’ issues.
“That's like the Holy Trinity of committees, if you're an incumbent who doesn't want to make a lot of waves but wants to take care of his community and get reelected,” said Scala.
Now 44, Pappas was just 22 and a few months out of Harvard when he ran for and won a seat in the New Hampshire State House.
He later was elected to positions as Hillsborough County treasurer and on the Executive Council.
Through that time, his political base of support has remained in Manchester, where he grew up and his family owns a landmark restaurant, the Puritan Backroom.
When he first ran for Congress in 2018, he told WMUR that he viewed politics as a form of customer service.
“I’m never someone who thinks that I’ve got all the answers, or that my party has all the answers,” Pappas said.
Throughout his political career, trying to find a way to stay in the ideological center of his party has been a defining feature for Pappas. He was originally tepid about a Biden Administration plan to write off some student loan debt. During the height of the pandemic, he opposed federal vaccine mandates at private businesses.
More recently, he’s been criticized by some on the left for his support for Israel. Five protesters were arrested earlier this spring during a sit-in inside Pappas’ Dover office where they called on him to speak out more strongly in support of a ceasefire in Gaza.
“We're on the precipice of a regional war in the Middle East. We should be having conversations with our electeds about these kinds of things,” said David Crishaw-Jones, a pastor and peace activist from Durham who was among the arrestees.
Crishaw-Jones said he’s been frustrated by the congressman’s unwillingness to call for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
“This is something that he should be doing, and these are conversations he should be having,” he said.
Crishaw-Jones added that he agrees with Pappas on a host of other topics, including Pappas’s support for pro-LGBTQ policies. Pappas himself is the first and only openly gay member of Congress from New Hampshire. He’s also been a steady supporter of abortion rights.
Erin Covey, a congressional analyst for the Cook Political Report, says with so many elections under his belt, Pappas is unlikely to make missteps on the campaign trail that could hurt him in this swing district. She added that his ability to project an aura of competence goes a long way right now with some voters.
“Probably being a more vanilla member helps these days, particularly when there is so much chaos and dysfunction in Congress,” said Covey.
Appealing to independents
Two years ago, Pappas squared off against Republican Karoline Leavitt, a Trump-style candidate who attracted national support and enthusiasm. He beat her by 8 points.
This November, he’s facing Russell Prescott, a former Republican executive councilor with a similar calm, cordial campaigning style as Pappas.
Both need to appeal to the independents in the district, which for nearly two decades has swung between the two parties.
“With over 40% of New Hampshire being unaffiliated, you have to always remember that,” Jeb Bradley, who won the 1st Congressional District in 2002, told NHPR.
A Republican, Bradley won re-election to Congress two years later. But the mood of the country — and in the district — shifted in 2006.
“I was ahead in every poll five weeks out. And then ended up not winning,” said Bradley. “So a lot can happen.”
Managing the unexpected, and avoiding national headlines, has been central to Pappas’s ethos over his political career.
He’s hoping it can land him another two years in Congress.
