Pappas fends off challenge from ex-Trump official in NH

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas (N.H.) is projected to win a second term, fending off a challenge from Republican Matt Mowers, a former Trump campaign and administration official.

The Associated Press called the race at 12:40 a.m. EST.

Pappas won the hard-fought challenge from 31-year-old Mowers, who received a coveted endorsement from President Trump in his first bid for elected office. In 2016, Mowers worked on Trump’s presidential campaign and transition team and then served for two years as a senior White House adviser at the U.S. Department of State.

The Granite State’s 1st Congressional District is a solid swing district that has flipped between Democratic and Republican control five times in the past two decades.

Pappas, 40, made history in 2018 when he was elected as the first openly gay member of Congress from New Hampshire. The former New Hampshire Executive Council member also partially owns one of the most popular restaurants in Manchester, the Puritan Backroom.