Reps. Suraj Budathoki & Tony Caplan: Why the best candidate for U.S. Senate is Karishma Manzur
KARISHMA MANZUR, an Exeter medical researcher, grassroots activist, and now a candidate for the U.S Senate to replace Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, is a new name for many, but she is far and away our best choice for this seat in 2026.
In a political climate too often defined by corporate money, empty promises, and manipulated hatreds, Manzur is offering honesty, courage, and a dedication to public service instead of profits. For decades she has been devoted to public health, seeking cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and depression. Now, she is speaking out against corporate lobbyists, dark money, and super PACs as the greatest threats to our democracy.
Courageous stand on Gaza
Manzur takes a clear, principled stance on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As an activist, she has not minced words in condemning Israel’s devastating military campaign that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced millions. Just as importantly, she has spoken out against our country’s continued complicity in that devastation and the Trump administration’s unwillingness to stand against it. She has repeatedly urged legislation to halt weapons transfers that fuel the suffering of innocent children. For Manzur, silence in the face of war crimes is not neutrality; it is participation in evil, and votes in favor of continuing a genocide ought to be disqualifying for public office.
Corporate capture of politics
Manzur also recognizes that democracy itself is at stake here in the United States. She rejects the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which unleashed unlimited corporate spending in our elections. Manzur will not take a dime from dark-money groups, corporate PACs, or billionaires. She knows the corruption in our political system begins with the money that buys politicians. That’s why her campaign is powered by ordinary people: parents, students, and seniors who believe our democracy belongs to us, not special interests.
Health care is a human right
At the center of her platform is a simple, moral truth: that health care is a human right. The United States spends nearly $4.5 trillion each year on health care — more than any other country on Earth, 17.6 percent of our GDP — yet tens of millions remain uninsured or underinsured.
About 45,000 Americans die each year due to a lack of health insurance, and countless families go bankrupt from medical costs, while hospitals and insurance companies report record profits. A single-payer system, such as Medicare for all, guarantees universal coverage at a much lower cost by reducing administrative waste and eliminating the profit motive from basic care.
Manzur believes our health care system should be in the business of healing, not generating corporate profits.
Standing up for veterans
Manzur also supports a sensible foreign policy. Recent American wars of choice in Iraq and Afghanistan have had enormous humanitarian and financial costs. Too often, veterans return home from these conflicts only to face inadequate support. Today, thousands of veterans nationwide remain homeless, a stark reminder that those who served us with honor are not being served in return.
A different kind of Democrat
Manzur is not afraid to call out failures within her own party. Too often, Democrats pay lip service to progressive values while quietly, like their Republican counterparts, taking money from corporations, fossil fuel giants, and lobbyists for foreign powers. She is taking a different path — one of integrity, independence, national self-interest, and accountability. She has called on the New Hampshire Democratic Party to pass a resolution formally rejecting lobbyist money that corrupts our democracy.
The choice before us
Manzur’s campaign is more than a political contest; it is a test of the kind of democracy we want to live in and the kind of future we will leave for our children. Karishma Manzur is not afraid to call out injustice abroad and corruption at home. And that is precisely why she is the kind of leader this moment demands.
Rep. Suraj Budathoki, D-Manchester, represents Hillsborough District 40. Rep. Tony Caplan, D-Henniker, represents Merrimack District 8. They are both members of the N.H. House Progressive Caucus.