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Chris Pappas (American politician)

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This article is about the U.S. politician. For other people with the same name, see Chris Pappas (disambiguation).

Chris Pappas
Official portrait, 2019
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byCarol Shea-Porter
Member of the
New Hampshire Executive Council
from the 4th district
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byRaymond Wieczorek
Succeeded byTed Gatsas
Treasurer of Hillsborough County
In office
January 4, 2007 – January 6, 2011
Preceded byDavid Fredette
Succeeded byBob Burns
Member of the
New Hampshire House of Representatives
from Hillsborough County
In office
December 4, 2002 – December 6, 2006
Preceded byMulti-member constituency
Succeeded byMulti-member constituency
ConstituencyHillsborough 49 (2002-2004)
Hillsborough 8 (2004-2006)
Personal details
Born
Christopher Charles Pappas

(1980-06-04) June 4, 1980 (age 44)
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Vann Bentley
​
(m. 2023)​
EducationHarvard University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website
Chris Pappas's voice
Chris Pappas speaks in support of the Respect for Marriage Act
Recorded December 8, 2022

Christopher Charles Pappas (/ˈpæpəs/ PAPP-əss; born June 4, 1980) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2019.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, Pappas previously served on the New Hampshire Executive Council from 2013 to 2019.

Pappas is the first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress.[2] His district covers much of the southern and eastern parts of New Hampshire and includes the state's largest city, Manchester, as well as the Seacoast and the Lakes Region.

Early life and education

[edit]

Pappas was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas.[3] His paternal great-grandfather, also named Arthur Pappas, arrived in New Hampshire as a new American citizen in the early 20th century, having recently emigrated from Greece. In 1917 Arthur Pappas and his cousin Louis Canota founded an ice cream shop in Manchester. By 1919 they had expanded the business into a restaurant, now known as the Puritan Backroom, and in 1949 they added a function room. In 1974 Charlie Pappas, grandfather of Chris Pappas and co-owner of the Puritan at the time, invented the chicken tender. The business remains family-owned, and as of 2020 Chris Pappas was one of the owners.[4]

Pappas graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1998. He then attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Crimson.[5][6] He earned his Bachelor of Arts in government in 2002.[7]

Early political career

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In 1996, as a high school student, Pappas met Jeanne Shaheen, then a state senator and the Democratic nominee for governor. He signed on as a volunteer for Shaheen's campaign, marking his first foray into politics.[3] Shaheen went on to win that election and serve three terms as governor.

Pappas returned to Manchester after graduating college and was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2002.[3] He served two terms before being elected treasurer of Hillsborough County. He was defeated by Bob Burns for a third term as county treasurer in 2010.[8][9]

In 2012, Pappas was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council from the 4th district, defeating Burns.[10] He was reelected in 2014 and 2016.[11][12] In 2016, Pappas voted to extend substance abuse treatment to 140,000 New Hampshire residents.[13][14] He also supported increased funding for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.[15]

U.S. House of Representatives

[edit]

Elections

[edit]
Pappas speaking at a Women's March event in 2019.

2018

[edit]
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire § District 1

For years, Pappas was floated as a potential candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and governor of New Hampshire.[16][17][18] After U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter announced that she would not seek reelection in 2018, Pappas announced his candidacy for her seat in New Hampshire's 1st congressional district.[19] Pappas defeated ten other candidates for the Democratic nomination, including former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Maura Sullivan and Bernie Sanders's son Levi Sanders, with 42.2% of the vote.[20]

Pappas defeated Republican Eddie Edwards, a former police chief and member of the New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement, in the general election, with 53.6% of the vote.[21][22] He won every county except Belknap County.

2020

[edit]
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire § District 1

Pappas ran for reelection to a second term and was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[23] He defeated Republican Matt Mowers, a former New Hampshire Republican Party executive director and former U.S. State Department staffer, in the general election, receiving 51.32% of the vote.[24][25]

2022

[edit]
See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire § District 1

Pappas was reelected in 2022. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated former Trump administration official Karoline Leavitt with 54% of the vote.[26][27]

2024

[edit]
See also: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire § District 1

Pappas is running for a fourth term in 2024. He defeated Kevin Rondeau for the Democratic nomination, winning 95.2% of the vote.[28] He will face Republican Russell Prescott, a former state senator with whom Pappas served on the New Hampshire Executive Council, in the general election.[29]

Committee assignments

[edit]
Pappas meeting with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Caucus memberships

[edit]

Political positions

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Pappas speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic Party 2019 Convention

Pappas voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[33] The Lugar Center ranked Pappas as the most bipartisan Democrat and the third most bipartisan member of Congress overall in the 118th Congress.[34]

Pappas was one of six House Democrats to vote against the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to legalize cannabis at the federal level in 2020.[35] Pappas said he supports removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act but that he had concerns with other provisions of the bill and felt that it was being rushed through.[36]

In August 2022, Pappas criticized President Biden's plan to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for those making less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, calling it "no way to make policy", and saying it did little to address the root cause of increasing costs of higher education.[37][38]

On February 1, 2023, Pappas was among twelve Democrats to vote for a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.[39][40]

Syria

[edit]

In 2023, Pappas voted against H. Con. Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[41][42]

Electoral history

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2018 New Hampshire's 1st congressional district Democratic primary election[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Pappas 26,875 42.2
Democratic Maura Sullivan 19,313 30.4
Democratic Mindi Messmer 6,142 9.7
Democratic Naomi Andrews 4,508 7.1
Democratic Lincoln Soldati 1,982 3.1
Democratic Deaglan McEachern 1,709 2.7
Democratic Levi Sanders 1,141 1.8
Democratic Mark MacKenzie 746 1.2
Democratic Terence O'Rourke 656 1.0
Democratic Paul Cardinal 317 0.5
Democratic William Martin 230 0.4
Total votes 63,619 100.0
2018 New Hampshire's 1st congressional district election[44]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Pappas 155,884 53.6
Republican Eddie Edwards 130,996 45.0
Libertarian Dan Belforti 4,048 1.4
Total votes 290,928 100.0
Democratic hold
2020 New Hampshire's 1st congressional district election[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Pappas 205,606 51.3
Republican Matt Mowers 185,159 46.2
Libertarian Zachary Dumont 9,747 2.4
Write-in 83 <0.1
Total votes 400,595 100.0
Democratic hold
2022 New Hampshire's 1st congressional district election[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Pappas 167,391 54.0
Republican Karoline Leavitt 142,229 45.9
Write-in 342 0.1
Total votes 309,962 100.0
Democratic hold
2024 New Hampshire's 1st congressional district Democratic primary election[47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Pappas 54,847 95.2
Democratic Kevin Rondeau 2,775 4.8
Total votes 57,622 100.0

Personal life

[edit]

Pappas is openly gay. He married Vann Bentley in February 2023.[48] They live in Manchester, New Hampshire. Pappas is an Orthodox Christian and is affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[49]

Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester.[50] The Puritan Backroom is well-known in New Hampshire as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during the New Hampshire primary.[51]

Pappas appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on October 10, 2011, and won $17,500.[52]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Leader, PAUL FEELY New Hampshire Union (November 7, 2018). "Pappas takes historic 1st CD race". UnionLeader.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "LGBTQ Candidates Record Historic Midterm Wins In Rainbow Wave | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. November 7, 2018. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Chris Pappas has learned politics, family business from ground up | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "ANNOUNCING THE 2020 AMERICA'S CLASSICS WINNERS". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Christopher C. Pappas". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "Chris Pappas". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Manchester, Redux". Harvard Magazine. February 17, 2015. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "Gay N.H. Executive Council candidate stumps in D.C." Archived October 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Washington Blade, June 19, 2012.
  9. ^ "County Offices – NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  10. ^ "Executive Council – 2012 General Election – NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  11. ^ "Executive Council – 2014 General Election – NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "New Hampshire 4th District Executive Council Results: Chris Pappas Wins". The New York Times. August 2017. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  13. ^ "Union Leader article: 140,000 in NH now eligible for addiction treatment under Medicaid". Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  14. ^ "G&C Late Item Agenda #A2 from 6/15/16". Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  15. ^ "Hassan, drug czar outline actions taken against drug crisis". Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  16. ^ DiStaso, John (September 23, 2015). "Executive Councilor Chris Pappas won't run for US House, backs Carol Shea-Porter". WMUR. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "Q&A: Chris Pappas likes mixing politics and ice cream | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  18. ^ "Hassan Waits to Choose Her Adventure in New Hampshire". Roll Call. August 31, 2015. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  19. ^ "WMUR first: Democrat Pappas announces candidacy for 1st District US House seat". WMUR. November 9, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  20. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (September 11, 2018). "New Hampshire Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "New Hampshire Election Results: First House District". Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "Eddie Edwards, Trump-backed candidate, wins New Hampshire Republican U.S. House primary". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  23. ^ "2020 State Primary Democratic State Primary". New Hampshire Department of State. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  24. ^ Gardner, William M. (November 19, 2020). "2020 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  25. ^ Sexton, Adam (August 26, 2020). "Republicans Mayberry, Mowers push for chance to unseat Pappas in First Congressional District". WMUR 9. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  26. ^ "2022 Election Information". New Hampshire Department of State. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  27. ^ Shapiro, Walter; DeBrabander, Firmin; Tomasky, Michael (November 7, 2022). "The Northeast Is Supposed to Be Democrats' Stronghold. Instead, It's Where They Might Lose Their House Majority". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  28. ^ Enstrom, Kirk (September 11, 2024). "AP: Pappas wins Democratic nomination in New Hampshire's 1st District". WMUR. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  29. ^ Ketschke, Ross (September 11, 2024). "AP: Prescott projected winner of Republican nomination in 1st District". WMUR. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "House LGBT Caucus Denounces SCOTUS Decision on Trans Military Ban". LGBT Equality Caucus. January 22, 2019. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019. LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-4)
  31. ^ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  32. ^ "Members". August 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  33. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  34. ^ "Our Work". www.thelugarcenter.org. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  35. ^ Daly, Matthew (December 4, 2020). "House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  36. ^ Sylvia, Andrew (December 4, 2020). "Pappas one of six Democratic 'no' votes on marijuana decriminalization proposal". Manchester Ink Link. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  37. ^ "Vulnerable House Democrat rebukes Biden's $300 billion student loan handout: 'No way to make policy'". Fox News. August 24, 2022. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  38. ^ McPherson, Lindsey (August 24, 2022). "Biden to cancel up to $20K student debt per borrower". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  39. ^ "House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency". February 2023. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  40. ^ "On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by". August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  41. ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023". Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  42. ^ "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". US News & World Report. March 8, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  43. ^ "New Hampshire Primary Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. September 24, 2018. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  44. ^ "New Hampshire Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. January 28, 2019. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  45. ^ "New Hampshire Election Results: First Congressional District". The New York Times. November 24, 2020. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  46. ^ "2022 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  47. ^ "New Hampshire 1st Congressional District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  48. ^ Polus, Sarah (February 20, 2023). "Rep. Chris Pappas marries partner Vann Bentley". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  49. ^ "Greek-American Leaders Criticize Capitol Riot, Call for Unity". GreekReporter.com. January 7, 2021. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  50. ^ "Hillary Clinton looks at home campaigning in New Hampshire". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  51. ^ Garnick, Darren (February 2016). "Eating with the Presidential Candidates". New Hampshire Magazine. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  52. ^ Leader, DALE VINCENT New Hampshire Union (October 10, 2011). "Manchester resident wins $17,500 on 'Millionaire'". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
[edit]
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
260th 		Succeeded by
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