Exeter scientist launches Democratic run for Senate in New Hampshire

WMUR | MANCHESTER, N.H. —

There will now officially be a competitive Democratic primary for Senate in New Hampshire, after Dr. Karishma Manzur, a scientist from Exeter, announced her bid for the seat.

"I loved my career as a scientist, as a researcher, but over time, I realized many of the treatments that I'm working on, it will never be affordable to many Americans because they don't have health insurance or they cannot afford the copay," Manzur told News 9 in a one-on-one interview Wednesday ahead of her campaign launch. "I realized that the problems actually were not unsolvable. They are all related to big money in politics."

Manzur holds a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology and has researched diseases like Alzheimer's and epilepsy. She characterizes herself as an outsider on the inside, noting her involvement in local politics and her time as a representative on the Rules Committee of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

With more than a year until the Sept. 2026 primary, Manzur said she plans to visit every town and city in New Hampshire.

"This is a grassroots campaign. It's a people's campaign," she said. "I want to meet folks in their diners. I want to meet folks in their grocery stores. If anyone invites me to their living room, I will go there. This is a message to 1.4 million New Hampshire people."

Manzur said the state's housing crisis, along with health care and child care problems, will be central to her campaign.

"We believe that people in America are suffering. People in New Hampshire are suffering. The housing crisis is out of control. The childcare crisis is out of control, the health care crisis is out of control, and there's so many other issues," Manzur said. "People in America do not have livable wages. They're working two, three jobs, and yet cannot afford rent, food. And so this is unacceptable."

Manzur's candidacy means Congressman Chris Pappas, who announced his Senate run this past spring, will now have a competitor.

Some Democrats had suggested the race could be a shoo-in for Pappas, but political analysts say that will not be the case in an evolving Democratic Party.

Manzur was notably reluctant to go directly after Pappas, stating that this is not an "opposition" campaign, but believes new voices are needed in Washington.

"The lawmakers got us here, and so the current lawmakers cannot get us out of this problem," she said.

One issue where Manzur and Pappas may differ is their stance on the war in Gaza.

In her launch video, there is a news clip noting the arrest of five people who had refused to leave Pappas' office during a ceasefire protest. In recent months, Pappas, a longtime supporter of AIPAC, has voiced his ongoing support for Israel.

Pappas has said he supports a two-state solution but believes Palestinians must in turn recognize Israel. He has also called for more humanitarian aid corridors into Gaza.

When asked whether he would have supported a resolution from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block $675 million in weapons sales to Israel, Pappas said he would have voted no. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen voted yes, along with the majority of Democrats on the resolution, while Sen. Maggie Hassan voted no.

Manzur said she would have voted yes on the resolution, further calling the situation in Gaza a genocide.

"I'm going to stand up for human rights at home and abroad," she said.

Beyond her scientific background, Manzur has served on nonprofit boards for NH Ranked Choice Voting and Open Democracy. She said she hopes her campaign will reach voters across party lines.

"This is not a message to any kind of party affiliation. I want to listen to people who are Republicans, Independents, Democrats or unregistered, because that's the way we're going to beat big money with a lot of people," Manzur said.