Chris Pappas (American politician)

Christopher Charles Pappas (/ˈpæpəs/ PAPP-əss; born June 4, 1980) is an American politician who has been the U.S. representative from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2019.[1] From 2013 to 2019, he represented the 4th district on the New Hampshire Executive Council. The district includes Manchester, two towns in Hillsborough, six towns in Merrimack, eight towns in Rockingham, and two towns in Strafford County.[2][3]

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

Chris Pappas
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's 1st district
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
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
from the Hillsborough County district
In office
December 4, 2002 – December 6, 2010
Personal details
Born
Christopher Charles Pappas

(1980-06-04) June 4, 1980
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Vann Bentley
​
(m. 2023)​
EducationHarvard University (AB)
WebsiteHouse website

A member of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Pappas was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 election to succeed Carol Shea-Porter.[4] He was elected on November 6, 2018, and is the first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress.[5]

Early life and education

Pappas was born in Manchester, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas.[6] 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.[7]

Pappas graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1998. He then attended Harvard College, where he wrote for The Harvard Crimson.[8][9] He earned his Bachelor of Arts in government in 2002.[10]

Early political career

In 1996, while in high school, Pappas met then-State Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who was running for governor at the time. He signed on as a volunteer for Shaheen's campaign, marking his first foray into politics.[6]

First elected in 2002, Pappas served two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.[6]

In 2006, Pappas was elected to the first of two terms as treasurer of Hillsborough County.[11] In 2010 he lost reelection to Robert Burns.[12]

In 2012, Pappas was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council, defeating Burns.[13] He was reelected in 2014[14] and 2016.[15]

In 2016, Pappas voted to extend substance abuse treatment to 140,000 New Hampshire residents.[16][17] He also supported increased funding for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections
Pappas speaking at a Women's March event in 2019.

2018
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,[19] for U.S. Senator, or for governor of New Hampshire.[20][21] After U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter announced that she would not seek reelection in 2018, Pappas announced his candidacy for her seat, representing New Hampshire's 1st congressional district.[22]

In the September 12 Democratic primary, Pappas defeated ten other candidates, 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.[23]

Pappas defeated Republican Eddie Edwards, a former member of the New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement and former police chief, in the general election,[24] with 53.6% of the vote.[25] He won every county except Belknap County.

2020
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.[26] He defeated Republican Matt Mowers, the former Executive Director of the New Hampshire Republican Party and a former U.S. State Department staffer,[27] in the general election, receiving 51.32% of the vote.[28]

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

Pappas was reelected in 2022, defeating Karoline Leavitt with 54% of the vote.[29][30]

Committee assignments
Pappas meeting with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Caucus memberships

Political positions
Pappas speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic Party 2019 Convention

As of June 2022, Pappas had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[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 COVID-19 national emergency.[39][40]

Syria

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
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district Democratic primary, 2018[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
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, 2018[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
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, 2020[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
n/a Write-ins 83 <0.1
Total votes 400,595 100.0
Democratic hold
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, 2022[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

Personal life

Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester.[47] The Puritan Backroom is well-known in New Hampshire as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during the New Hampshire primary.[48]

Pappas is an Orthodox Christian and is affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[49]

Pappas is gay, and became engaged to Vann Bentley in 2021.[11][50] They got married in February 2023.[51]

References
  1. Leader, PAUL FEELY New Hampshire Union (November 7, 2018). "Pappas takes historic 1st CD race". UnionLeader.com.
  2. "District 4 | Councilor Chris C. Pappas". State of New Hampshire | Executive Council. 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  3. "Democrats Make Gains On Executive Council". New Hampshire Public Radio, November 7, 2012.
  4. Steinhauser, Paul (November 9, 2017). "Manchester Democrat Chris Pappas announces bid for Shea-Porter seat". Concord Monitor. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  5. "LGBTQ Candidates Record Historic Midterm Wins In Rainbow Wave | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. "Chris Pappas has learned politics, family business from ground up | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  7. "ANNOUNCING THE 2020 AMERICA'S CLASSICS WINNERS". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  8. "Christopher C. Pappas". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  9. "Chris Pappas". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  10. "Manchester, Redux". Harvard Magazine. February 17, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  11. "Gay N.H. Executive Council candidate stumps in D.C.". Washington Blade, June 19, 2012.
  12. "County Offices – NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  13. "Executive Council – 2012 General Election – NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  14. "Executive Council – 2014 General Election – NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  15. "New Hampshire 4th District Executive Council Results: Chris Pappas Wins". The New York Times. August 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  16. "Union Leader article: 140,000 in NH now eligible for addiction treatment under Medicaid". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  17. "G&C Late Item Agenda #A2 from 6/15/16".
  18. "Hassan, drug czar outline actions taken against drug crisis". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  19. DiStaso, John (September 23, 2015). "Executive Councilor Chris Pappas won't run for US House, backs Carol Shea-Porter". WMUR. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  20. "Q&A: Chris Pappas likes mixing politics and ice cream | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  21. "Hassan Waits to Choose Her Adventure in New Hampshire". Roll Call. August 31, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  22. "WMUR first: Democrat Pappas announces candidacy for 1st District US House seat". WMUR. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  23. Almukhtar, Sarah (September 11, 2018). "New Hampshire Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  24. "Eddie Edwards, Trump-backed candidate, wins New Hampshire Republican U.S. House primary". The Washington Times. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  25. "New Hampshire Election Results: First House District". Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  26. "2020 State Primary Democratic State Primary". New Hampshire Department of State. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  27. Sexton, Adam (August 26, 2020). "Republicans Mayberry, Mowers push for chance to unseat Pappas in First Congressional District". WMUR 9. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  28. Gardner, William M. (November 19, 2020). "2020 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  29. "2022 Election Information". New Hampshire Department of State. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  30. 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. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  31. "House LGBT Caucus Denounces SCOTUS Decision on Trans Military Ban". LGBT Equality Caucus. January 22, 2019. LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-4)
  32. "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  33. "Members". August 19, 2021.
  34. Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  35. Daly, Matthew (December 4, 2020). "House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level". Associated Press. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  36. Sylvia, Andrew (December 4, 2020). "Pappas one of six Democratic 'no' votes on marijuana decriminalization proposal". Manchester Ink Link. 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.
  38. McPherson, Lindsey (August 24, 2022). "Biden to cancel up to $20K student debt per borrower". Roll Call.
  39. "House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency". February 2023.
  40. "On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by". August 12, 2015.
  41. "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
  42. "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". US News & World Report. March 8, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  43. "New Hampshire Primary Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. September 24, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  44. "New Hampshire Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. January 28, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  45. "New Hampshire Election Results: First Congressional District". The New York Times. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  46. "2022 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State.
  47. "Hillary Clinton looks at home campaigning in New Hampshire". NY Daily News. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  48. Garnick, Darren (February 2016). "Eating with the Presidential Candidates". New Hampshire Magazine. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  49. "Greek-American Leaders Criticize Capitol Riot, Call for Unity". GreekReporter.com. January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  50. Street, Mikelle (December 21, 2021). "Congressman Chris Pappas Announced He Is Engaged to Boyfriend". www.advocate.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  51. Polus, Sarah (February 20, 2023). "Rep. Chris Pappas marries partner Vann Bentley". The Hill. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
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