Chris Pappas (politician)

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Chris Pappas
Chris Pappas, official portrait, 116th Congress.jpg
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
Personal details
Born
Christopher Charles Pappas

(1980-06-04) June 4, 1980 (age 38)
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationHarvard University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Christopher Charles Pappas (born June 4, 1980) is an American politician and businessman who has been serving as the U.S. Representative for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2019.[1] He previously served on the New Hampshire Executive Council from 2013 to 2019, representing a total of nineteen municipalities of District 4. These include the city of Manchester along with two additional towns in Hillsborough, six towns in Merrimack, eight towns in Rockingham, and two towns in Strafford County.[2][3]

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 outgoing U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.[4] He was elected on November 6, 2018 and is the first openly gay person representing New Hampshire in Congress.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Pappas was born in Manchester, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas.[6] His paternal great-grandfather arrived in New Hampshire as a new American citizen in the early 20th century, having recently emigrated from Greece.

Pappas graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1998. He then attended Harvard College, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government in 2002.[7]

He has also served as a board member of Southern New Hampshire Services and the Manchester Historic Association.[8]

Early political career[edit]

In 1996 as a high school student, 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 to public office in 2002, Pappas served two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives (elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2004).[6]

In 2006, Pappas was elected to the first of two terms as treasurer of Hillsborough County.[9] In 2010 he lost reelection to Robert Burns by 17 points.[10]

In 2012, Pappas was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council, defeating Hillsborough County Treasuer Robert Burns.[11] He was reelected in 2014[12] and 2016.[13]

U.S. House of Representatives[edit]

Elections[edit]

Main article: 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,[14] for U.S. Senator, or for Governor of New Hampshire.[15][16] Following U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter's announcement that she would not seek reelection in 2018, Pappas announced his candidacy for her seat, representing New Hampshire's 1st congressional district.[17]

On September 12, Pappas defeated ten other candidates, including former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Maura Sullivan and Levi Sanders, son of Bernie Sanders, in the Democratic primary. Pappas received 42.2% of the vote[18]

He went on to face former of the New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement and former police chief Eddie Edwards.[19] On November 6, Pappas defeated Edwards, receiving 53.6% of the vote.[20] Pappas won all but one county (Belknap County) in the general election.

Political positions[edit]

Pappas campaigning for Hillary Clinton in October 2016

In 2016, Pappas voted in favor of extending substance abuse treatment to 140,000 New Hampshire residents.[21][22] He also supported increased funding for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.[23]

Personal life[edit]

Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire.[24] The Puritan Backroom is well known within the state as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during the New Hampshire primary.[25]

Pappas is single and has never been married, although he has said he hopes marriage and children are in his future.[15] Pappas is openly gay.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.unionleader.com/news/local/pappas-takes-historic-st-cd-race/article_2341aced-ae79-5f34-a75f-fb2fad100705.html
  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. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c "Chris Pappas has learned politics, family business from ground up | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "Manchester, Redux". Harvard Magazine. February 17, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "Councilor Christopher C. Pappas Biography - District 4 - New Hampshire Executive Council". www.nh.gov.
  9. ^ a b "Gay N.H. Executive Council candidate stumps in D.C.". Washington Blade, June 19, 2012.
  10. ^ "County Offices - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  11. ^ "Executive Council - 2012 General Election - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  12. ^ "Executive Council - 2014 General Election - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  13. ^ "New Hampshire 4th District Executive Council Results: Chris Pappas Wins". Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  14. ^ DiStaso, John (September 23, 2015). "Executive Councilor Chris Pappas won't run for US House, backs Carol Shea-Porter". WMUR. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Q&A: Chris Pappas likes mixing politics and ice cream | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  16. ^ "Hassan Waits to Choose Her Adventure in New Hampshire". Roll Call. August 31, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "WMUR first: Democrat Pappas announces candidacy for 1st District US House seat". WMUR. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah. "New Hampshire Primary Election Results". Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  19. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "Eddie Edwards, Trump-backed candidate, wins New Hampshire Republican U.S. House primary". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  20. ^ "New Hampshire Election Results: First House District". Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  21. ^ "Union Leader article: 140,000 in NH now eligible for addiction treatment under Medicaid".
  22. ^ "G&C Late Item Agenda #A2 from 6/15/16".
  23. ^ "Hassan, drug czar outline actions taken against drug crisis".
  24. ^ "Hillary Clinton looks at home campaigning in New Hampshire". NY Daily News. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  25. ^ Garnick, Darren (February 2016). "Eating with the Presidential Candidates". New Hampshire Magazine. Retrieved October 20, 2016.

External links[edit]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Carol Shea-Porter 		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
Lizzie Pannill Fletcher 		United States Representatives by seniority
401st 		Succeeded by
Greg Pence
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