At First Debate, Chris Pappas Highlights Record of Lowering Costs for Families, John Sununu Runs Away from His Own Words

MANCHESTER, N.H. — At this morning’s first debate of the general election, Chris Pappas highlighted his clear vision to lower costs and deliver for Granite Staters. During the Mount Washington Valley Economic Council debate, Pappas’s fight to bring change to New Hampshire and Washington stood in clear contrast with Trump-endorsed John Sununu, who flailed on the debate stage and tried to hide that he’s already previously said he’s running for Senate because this race is “important to President Trump’s agenda” and that he supports and has downplayed the worst parts of that agenda — including Trump’s war with Iran, Trump’s tariff taxes, and Trump’s cuts to health care. 

“Today’s debate showed voters exactly the choice that they’ll be facing 21 days from now. Chris Pappas is fighting to lower costs and take on Washington corruption to help deliver for New Hampshire families. On the other hand, Trump-endorsed John Sununu will roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump and rubber stamp his war with Iran, tariff taxes, and cuts to health care,” said Jen Hughes, Spokesperson for Chris Pappas for Senate. “Granite Staters want a leader who will stand up to Trump. They want a leader who will protect — not privatize — Social Security. They want a leader who will clean up Washington. And Chris Pappas is the only candidate in the race who will do that.” 

Key highlights from this morning’s debate are below: 

Chris Pappas Will Stand Up to Donald Trump

• Pappas: “I think there is a fundamental question in this election about whether you think the country is moving in the right direction, whether you support the leadership of Donald Trump, and whether you think things are going well in the economy. If your answer is yes to those questions, there’s another candidate for you on this stage. But I don’t think things are going well. This economy has been rigged for billionaires and big corporations at the expense of our main streets. Donald Trump is running roughshod over the law and the Constitution every day, and we need someone who’s going to fight to put the people of New Hampshire first and restore checks and balances in Washington.”

Chris Pappas Is Focused on Lowering Costs

• Pappas: “The most important issues are getting this economy working for everyone. Donald Trump says affordability is a hoax. He doesn’t believe that he has to focus on issues like housing and childcare and healthcare. In fact, he pushed the bill to cut healthcare to the tune of billions of dollars. That’s going to result in thousands of New Hampshire families losing access to their coverage and will be devastating for our hospitals and community health centers. Senator Sununu supports that bill, and in fact, when he was in Congress, he supported efforts to give carve-outs to big pharma, to keep prescription drug prices high, and give big bailouts to Wall Street while giving tax giveaways to the super wealthy and biggest corporations.”

Chris Pappas Made Clear That He’ll Protect Social Security, John Sununu Runs From His Record

• Sununu: “I’m not going to lay out specific changes that I support [to Social Security]” […]

• Pappas: “People pay into Social Security through their working years. They deserve to know that it’s going to be there for them when they retire. Now, Senator Sununu doesn’t want to engage on this issue. Apparently, he’s got a secret plan to cut Social Security benefits because why else would seniors react in opposition to what he has to say? But the fact is, we’ve got to protect this program for the future. I don’t support cuts and benefits. I don’t support telling people that they have to work longer and harder to get what they’ve earned. Now, he did propose privatizing Social Security in the past.”

Chris Pappas Supports Ending Trump’s Reckless War of Choice in Iran

• Pappas: “I’m working to pass a War Powers Resolution under the War Powers Act to constrain the ability of Donald Trump to continue this reckless war of choice in the Middle East that has a huge cost associated with it. 21 service members who have lost their lives, hundreds more who have been injured, and the record energy prices that New Hampshire is paying at the pump.” 

Chris Sununu Will Lower Prescription Drug Costs 

• Pappas: “I’ve supported efforts to take on big pharma, to lower prescription drug prices, to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare, to give them access to free vaccines, to cap the cost of insulin at $35, and for the first time, overturn what had been a longstanding carve-out in the law and allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for Americans. We’re beginning to do that with the first 10 drugs being negotiated, we have to go well beyond that.” 

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