At WMUR Debate, Chris Pappas Shows Granite Staters That He Will Always Fight for Hard-Working Families

MANCHESTER, N.H. — At last night’s WMUR debate, Chris Pappas showed voters that he is the only candidate in the race who will lower costs for families, stand up to Donald Trump, and create a freer, fairer future for Granite Staters. At this final debate, the third after John Sununu dropped out of another scheduled debate, Pappas provided a clear contrast to John Sununu, who admitted that he thinks the Iran War is “working” and failed to hide his record from voters. 

Even before tonight’s debate, John Sununu has already said that 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. 

Read and watch key highlights — and John Sununu’s lowlights —  from the debate below:

Pappas made clear he’s the only candidate who will stand up to Donald Trump. 

• Pappas: “Donald Trump calls affordability a hoax. He says this is a golden age for America. The fact is, he promised to end inflation and lower costs on day one. We are now 646 days into his administration, and he’s moving in the other direction. He’s pulling every lever to make things more expensive, from the war in the Middle East and high gas and diesel costs to the tariffs that are applied to everything that we need. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to exempt small businesses from tariffs. I’ve also introduced legislation with colleagues to exempt groceries from tariffs.”

John Sununu said the Iran War is “working” and lied about his history of supporting the war. 

• Sununu: “At this point, it’s working in that it’s isolated them, isolated them from their allies as well, and I think it can draw them back to the negotiating table.

• Sununu: “I said from the beginning it was a mistake to attack Iran without a plan for keeping that strait open as oil continues to flow”
  • FACT: Sununu backed Trump’s decision to enter the war in Iran saying, “We’re destroying their ability as we speak and as we should.” 
  • FACT: Sununu claimed Trump’s war in Iran had been “very effective” and stated, “I do think [his] objectives are clear.”
  • FACT: John Sununu called Trump’s war in Iran which has cost American taxpayers more than $47.1 billion and the lives of at least 21 servicemembers a “success.”

Chris Pappas stood up to Donald Trump’s tariffs, which John Sununu defended. 

• Pappas: “We have to make sure we’re focused on lowering costs. And again, these tariffs are incredibly reckless. John Sununu called them ‘important’. He said last fall that the impact was ‘modest.’ Well tell that to Judy from Hollis, who lost her job last fall. She works in the automotive industry. She was laid off of work with her coworkers. The impact on her was anything but modest. It’s significant, and we need leadership that’s not just going to say a few nice things before an election, but is actually going to dig in on meaningful legislation that can change this.”

Chris Pappas was the only candidate who stood up to corporate special interests and Big Oil. 

• Pappas: “The fact is, we need a senator who’s going to take on corporate special interests, who’s going to take on the profiteering by the big oil companies who are reaping record profits at our expense. Donald Trump said it the other day. He said he’s making a lot of freaking money right now. Well, we can see that he’s $2 billion richer. But what about people that just put 1000 bucks of home heating oil in their tank or are paying hundreds of dollars more for the gas they need to get to work in the morning? It’s just too much for New Hampshire.”

Chris Pappas showed voters he will always protect Social Security, unlike John Sununu who led the fight to privatize Social Security. 

• Pappas: “Washington seems to always find money for a host of things: 1.5 trillion dollars proposed for the Department of Defense, billions being spent in Iran, tax breaks that John Sununu supported for billionaires and big corporations and data center developers. So we can find the resources we need. You know, people earning more than a million bucks a year, they’re paying Social Security on a fraction of their income, while nurses and factory workers and waitresses are paying it on all of their income. So we can shore up the program by making the super wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, and make sure that this benefit continues to be paid out. And also look at how we give low-income seniors a raise.”

• Even one of the moderators noted Sununu’s evasion on the campaign trail on this issue, saying, “You said you will not share your ideas for making Social Security solvent because it will trigger political attacks. Some might see that as off-brand for someone running on making bold, independent stands in Washington.” 

Chris Pappas highlighted how he’s working to lower housing costs for families. 

• Pappas: “I was very proud to vote for the 21st Century Road to Housing Act that made its way through Congress. [A] bipartisan bill [that] wasn’t signed into law by Trump, but he let it become law without his signature. And that bill does a few things: takes on Wall Street’s practice of gobbling up single-family homes and jacking up housing costs, cuts red tape and makes it easier to build, and provides direct grants to communities that are thinking creatively about how to rezone and build below-market-rate units. We got to do a lot more of this, and we do need to make sure that we’re relaxing and providing waivers for affordable housing developers through the Build America Buy America provisions. That’s something I’ve been advocating for.”

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