Establishment Dem defeats socialist challenger in crucial battleground Senate primary

Rep. Chris Pappas on Tuesday won the Democratic Senate nomination in swing state New Hampshire, in a key race that is a must-hold for the Democrats in the midterm elections.

Pappas defeated socialist rival and first-time candidate Karishma Manzur, the Associated Press reports, in the showdown to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman in the nation's history elected governor and senator.

Republicans haven't won a Senate election in New Hampshire in 16 years, but they view the open Democrat-held seat as a top flip opportunity in the fight to hold their slim majority in the midterms.

The race between Pappas and Manzur was one of the final fights in a six-month primary season that saw the far-left score a slew of high-profile victories over centrists in what's been framed as a battle for the Democrats' ideological future.

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Manzur, who saw a surge in support in recent weeks, took the fight to Pappas.

"All he wants to do is just get his little cushy job and go to D.C. Go to all these parties and these restaurants and just do whatever the bare minimum is," she charged in a Fox News Digital interview.

The first-time candidate, scientist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, and nonprofit leader who is a member of a local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) group, pushed for universal health care, raising the minimum wage to at least $20 per hour, abolishing ICE, and ending all military aid to Israel for what she argues is the Israeli government's "genocide" against the Palestinian people in their war against Hamas in Gaza.

Manzur argued that Pappas, who has been supported over the years by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, is a "genocide enabler."

"Chris Pappas has had his turn and has not been able to serve this state honorably. He hasn't done a good job in serving his corporate donors, his AIPAC foreign-aligned lobbies," she claimed.

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Pappas, in an interview with Fox News Digital, said, "Israel's a historic ally of the United States, the only democracy in the region. And you can say that while you have vehement disagreements with the Netanyahu government as I've expressed."

And referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pappas said, "I think Netanyahu's being incredibly reckless right now. He faces voters in a matter of weeks and could lose his election. And I think that would be important to set a new tone for the U.S.-Israel relationship."

Pappas, who was the frontrunner for his party's nomination ever since Shaheen announced early last year that she wouldn't seek re-election, enjoys strong establishment and union backing. And for over a year, as he runs for the Senate, Pappas also takes aim at what he calls a political system "rigged for billionaires."

Regardless, Manzur charged that Pappas took a page from her playbook.

"It's really embarrassing and insulting to the people of New Hampshire. He's been there for eight years. He has not provided any of that sort of populist messages, and now he's realizing, wait, he's dropping in the polls, and now he has to catch up," Manzur charged. "That's another one of those deceptions that... Chris Pappas always engages in."

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Pappas defended his record, noting "I've been fighting to change Washington to get big money out of our political system since I got elected to Congress in 2018."

And Pappas emphasized he's "appealing to those voters between the 20 and 80-yard line on the political playing field, and there are a lot of them in New Hampshire. This is not a left-wing or a right -wing state. It's a state of voters who are pragmatic."

Pappas will face off in the general election against either former Sen. John E. Sununu, who topped former Sen. Scott Brown.

Asked how he'll unify his party after a primary showdown that turned heated, Pappas said, "I've always been able to bring people together, and that's how you do things in New Hampshire."

Pointing to the high-stakes head, Pappas said, "Democrats are coming together regardless of how these primaries are shaking out because they understand where the real fight is. This is an election here in New Hampshire that's going to determine the balance of power in the United States Senate. And Democrats won't be able to take the majority back in the US Senate if they don't hold this specific seat here in New Hampshire."