Scott Brown to formalize Senate candidacy on first day of N.H. filing period
Some candidates have been campaigning in New Hampshire for more than a year ahead of the midterm elections that will decide who controls Congress for the second half of President Trump’s term. But now the rubber will finally meet the road.
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New Hampshire’s filing period opens Wednesday for the state’s relatively late-in-the-cycle primaries, prompting Republican and Democratic hopefuls to either lock in their spots on the ballot or get out of the way.
The most closely watched federal races in New Hampshire will be for US Senate and the First Congressional District, since Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen is retiring and Democratic Representative Chris Pappas is vying to succeed her in the upper chamber.
Although some Republicans had hoped Trump’s endorsement of John E. Sununu for Senate would nudge Scott Brown out of the race and clear the way for an uncontested GOP primary, that didn’t happen. Brown has been trailing Sununu in the polls. Still, his campaign said he’ll report to the State House and officially file his candidate paperwork on Wednesday morning.
Pappas has a commanding lead in the Democratic primary against a couple of lesser-known challengers, including Karishma Manzur, a progressive nonprofit leader and medical scientist. Polling also suggests Pappas is looking relatively strong against either Sununu or Brown in hypothetical matchups.
Ten candidates have stepped forward in the wide-open race to succeed Pappas in the House, including six Democrats (Stefany Shaheen, Maura Sullivan, Christian Urrutia, Carleigh Beriont, Heath Howard, and Sarah Chadzynski) and four Republicans (Anthony DiLorenzo, Hollie Noveletsky, Melissa Bailey, and Brian Cole).
Meanwhile, in the Second Congressional District, incumbent Representative Maggie Goodlander has a commanding lead over challenger Paige Beauchemin in the Democratic primary. That suggests Goodlander could be on track for another general election showdown with Lily Tang Williams, who is the top contender for the GOP nomination.
Candidates have until next Friday, June 12, at 5 p.m. to sign up for either party’s primary. That’s also the deadline for third-party candidates to file their declarations of intent to qualify for the general election ballot. (More details about running for office are available on the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office website.)
Besides the federal races, candidates will also be signing up this week and next for state offices (governor, Executive Council, and state legislative seats) and county offices (sheriff, treasurer, etc.).
The primaries will be held Sept. 8, followed by the general election on Nov. 3.
Since the candidate filing period opens Wednesday, June 3, the deadline for registered voters to change their party affiliation before the state primary election is Tuesday, June 2. Those registered as Republicans will be allowed to vote in the Republican primary; those registered as Democrats will be allowed to vote in the Democratic primary; and those registered as undeclared will be allowed to vote in either party’s primary.
Granite Staters can check their registration status by using the Voter Information Lookup tool at app.sos.nh.gov.
This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.
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