ICYMI: Chris Pappas Joins The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell

MANCHESTER, N.H. — In case you missed it, Congressman Chris Pappas recently joined host Lawrence O’Donnell on MS NOW’s The Last Word to discuss his primary victory, the 54 days until the November 3rd general election, and what’s at stake in New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate race.

As Granite Staters grapple with rising costs and economic uncertainty, this election presents a clear choice: Congressman Chris Pappas is focused on cutting taxes, lowering costs, and fighting for New Hampshire, while his Trump-endorsed opponent John Sununu will be a rubber stamp for MAGA’s agenda.

Watch the interview HERE and read more below:

On the Stakes of the Election and Fighting for New Hampshire

• “The number one issue in this campaign is who’s fighting for New Hampshire, who’s going to build a fair economy, fight to lower costs, and stand up to the recklessness of this administration. That’s what I’m hearing all across the state.”

• “The last thing New Hampshire needs is another rubber stamp for an agenda that’s raising costs and making life more expensive, and is hurting our small business community here in New Hampshire. So we’re fighting for fairness. We’re fighting to lower costs and fighting for New Hampshire. And this seat matters in terms of the overall Senate math, so if folks are interested in protecting the Senate seat and taking back the majority, go to chrispappas.org and help us change things in Washington.”

On John Sununu’s Record and His Special Interest Backers

• “The fact is, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, the corporate special interests — they’re coming in heavy for John Sununu because they know he’s going to be another vote for their agenda. He was before when he was our U.S. senator back in the early 2000s, where he voted for forever wars, voted for Big Oil and the insurance companies, voted against a woman’s right to choose, was the architect of the plan to privatize Social Security. So he was out of step with New Hampshire then, and he is today.”

On the Cost of Trump’s Broken Promises

• “People cannot wait; they’ve been waiting far too long to have an economy that’s affordable. [Trump] promised this in his last campaign, right? He was going to bring about world peace. He was going to end inflation and lower costs on day one. Well, we’re well beyond day one right now. We are over a year and a half into his presidency, and everyone observes that this president is so out of touch.”

• “[Trump] says affordability is a hoax. He says he shouldn’t have to worry about things like childcare. He’s pushed the biggest cuts to healthcare in our nation’s history. That has real-world impacts for folks. I was up north in New Hampshire talking with small businesses. Not only are they paying more for gas, and they have been for seven months, but this trade war with Canada has resulted in fewer Canadian visitors coming across the border, spending money and has been totally unpredictable and costly for our small business community. So this is incompetence. It is a lack of leadership.”

On the War, Energy Costs, and a Broad Coalition for Change

• “We’ve got to bring this war to a close and protect our service members and get energy costs back down. And we need a reality check in this election. I’m hearing the same feedback from independents and Republicans as I am from Democratic voters out there, and I think we have a chance to really assemble a broad coalition of folks that know we can do better, that don’t trust this president’s leadership, that don’t want someone who’s going to rubber stamp this agenda and are going to vote for change.”

On Political Courage, Accountability, and Restoring Checks and Balances

• “People think that Washington is so out of touch and that there’s no courage right now, and you see it from Republicans. Very occasionally, you get some concern expressed from Republicans, but you never get any follow-through, and that’s the kind of Republican that John Sununu is. That’s who he was when he was joined at the hip with George W. Bush, voting for forever wars, including the war in Iraq, and he’s a champion of this war too, and stands with Trump on this reckless use of military force that has a huge cost associated with it.”

• “We need people that are going to stand up and do the right thing. And if Republicans aren’t going to show courage like John McCain once did, turning a thumbs down to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, then we need accountability for these guys at the polls. We need to be voting for folks that are in touch with reality, understand the values of their constituents, and are going to repair our democracy and the checks and balances that just don’t exist right now. When Congress views itself as just part of the Trump team, and not a co-equal branch of government where they’re not protecting their prerogative and standing up to do the work of the American people, then we need a course correction.”

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