Manzur, of Exeter, to take on Pappas in Democratic primary for Shaheen's U.S. Senate seat
EXETER — Karishma Manzur, a medical scientist, nonprofit leader and progressive activist from Exeter, is set to launch her campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2026, becoming the first Democrat to challenge U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas for the party's nomination for the seat currently held by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is not seeking re-election.
The launch of the primary campaign will be held in Pappas’ home turf of Manchester on Aug. 19, at The Hill Bar & Grille, according to a public invitation published online, which called on supporters to “come together to launch a people's campaign.”
In an Aug. 19 interview, Manzur, who sits on the state Democratic Party’s Rules Committee, pointed to the affordability crisis in New Hampshire as the main reason for her run, though she largely declined to specifically criticize Pappas, the four-term congressman endorsed by much of the state’s political establishment, including Shaheen and U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander and several influential unions.
“The people of New Hampshire have been suffering for years, and the politicians keep failing us,” she said. “We cannot keep electing the same people and expecting different results.”
Manzur has called for peace in Gaza, passed several citizens’ petitions in Exeter
Manzur, who has worked closely with several good government and pro-peace organizations, has long been active in the community. In May 2024, she helped organize a public forum at Exeter’s historic town hall with the Democratic candidates running for governor.
She also pushed Exeter’s Select Board to pass a proclamation calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The board ultimately declined to do so.
Manzur then successfully pushed for the addition of five citizens’ petitions onto the March 2025 ballot. They asked voters to push elected leaders to disclose and divest public funds from weapons manufacturers not incorporating safety technology to prevent gun deaths; investigate “the massive fraud and waste in the U.S. Department of Defense”; prohibit weapons sales to Israel; limits on political spending; and conserve the state’s public natural resources.
“While many Americans struggle to live from paycheck to paycheck, many are homeless, children are going hungry, elderly people are unable to afford to heat their homes, and millions of Americans don’t have health insurance, our government spent over $90 million of New Hampshire tax money in 2024 to buy weapons for Israel,” the Gaza-focused article stated. It passed in a 1,202-811 vote.
“People want to hear the truth. People want to understand that many of the problems are not disconnected from each other,” Manzur said.
“And so, when you show them, ‘This is the problem and here are the solutions and this is how it’s impacting us and let’s not take the status quo for granted,’ we actually can empower ourselves to solve these problems. It actually resonates with a lot of voters,” she added.
Affordability crisis is 'not new,' Manzur says
Manzur said she transitioned to nonprofit work from the science and medical field to work toward solutions. Then, realizing that “the solutions are there, it’s just the willpower is not there,” Manzur began to work in politics, appealing directly to her elected representatives.
Later, Manzur said, she considered running for office after “we realized we need to have our own candidate.”
“Many of the candidates, many of the lawmakers who are out there — and not just in New Hampshire, I’m talking about everywhere — are beholden to their donors,” she said. “They’re beholden to the billionaire class.”
Two of the nonprofits she works with are dedicated to enacting ranked-choice voting across the state and limiting the role of money in politics.
“We have a health care crisis that’s getting worse, a housing crisis that’s getting worse, and people are suffering,” Manzur added. “These are not new problems. These are problems that have been getting worse for the last 10, 20 years. And the politicians keep failing us. And we cannot keep electing the same people and expecting different results.”
Rachel Petri, Pappas' campaign manager, said in a written statement that Pappas is "grounded in the communities and values of New Hampshire and is working every day to stand up to the Trump Administration, political extremists, and corporate interests to put our state and country on the right path for the future."
"This race is about ensuring a proven fighter for New Hampshire holds this seat, and that’s Chris Pappas," she added.
Manzur plans a statewide tour to meet voters
After her campaign launch, Manzur said she intends to visit every town and city in New Hampshire to “meet (voters) in coffee shops, in the grocery stores, in their downtown spaces.”
“When I talk to the people, it’s a very different story about the world than when I listen to the politicians,” she said. “That’s why you’ll see a lot of my work is with the people, it’s not with the establishment.”
Manzur said affordability was a top issue affecting voters she had spoken to, mentioning health care, child care and housing as three priorities.
“I want to take my message to the voters, and I want to hear from them, I want to talk to them about the issues that I think are hurting people in New Hampshire,” Manzur said. “I want to talk about possible solutions to those problems.”
“1.4 million people — let me see how many people I can meet,” she added.
Who is running the Republican primary for US Senate?
Former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Scott Brown of Rye was the first Republican to jump into the race. In July, State Senator Dan Innis of Bradford announced his candidacy.