Midterm election 2018 campaign for Congress: Chris Pappas

Sign Up For Our FREE Daily eNews!

In this series, we will provide information about each of the candidates for Congress in Congressional District 1 using the same format so that you can compare the profiles. We hope it will lead you to learn more about the candidates and make an informed decision.


Easy Button ⇒Click here to view all the profiles as they are posted.

⇒RELATED STORY: Who’s running against whom for what and where in NH


The primary election is Tuesday, September 11.  You must register as a member of a party to vote for those candidates, either at City Hall or at your polling place.

Chris Pappas

Party Democrat
Resides in Manchester
Website https://www.chrispappas.org/
Offices 225 Eddy Road, Manchester
Endorsements Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. Rep. Annie Kuster. The majority of Democratic State Representatives, State Senators and mayors in the First Congressional District. National Education Association NH, State Employees Association of New Hampshire, American Federation of Teachers – NH, IBEW locals 633, 2320, and 490, IATSE Local 195, the NH Troopers Association and the Manchester Police Patrolman’s Association. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, End Citizens United, and the Giffords gun safety organization.
Total fundraising $665,825
Cash on hand $440,498
In-State / Out-of-State / PAC 71.7 percent / 28.3 percent / PACs: business $2,500, labor $19,000, ideological $34,055  / Also See Top Industries and Sectors.
Contributors $15K – $20K Puritan Backroom
Contributors $9K – $10K State of New Hampshire
Contributors $5k – $10K University of New Hampshire, Four M Investments, Planet Fitness, St. Jude’s Liberal Catholic Church, DNC PAC, Equality PAC, Granite Values, IBEW, Laborers Union, Teamster Union, Teamsters Union
Contributors $3K – $4K SNHU, Anagnost Investments, NEA, Swett Exploratory Cmte, Dartmouth College, Groupe Danone, Sulloway & Hollis
Employment Co-owner & manager, Puritan Backroom Restaurant
Education BA Harvard University
Key issues Specific Proposals
Healthcare Allow opting into the Medicare system. Support a public option for health care exchanges. End special tax breaks for pharmaceutical companies, allow Americans to purchase low-cost prescription drugs from Canada, increase drug pricing transparency, and allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Support funding for New Hampshire’s community health centers. Support the repeal of the Global Gag Rule.
Education Tuition-free education at community colleges and public universities. Support universal pre-K. Lower student loan interest rates. Expand Pell grants. Expand job training, continuing education, and apprenticeship programs.
Jobs and the economy Increase the minimum wage indexed to inflation. Paid family leave. Employee Free Choice Act. Preserve and improve the ACA. Cut unnecessary red tape, expand access to credit, and bolster exporting opportunities. Reinstate Net Neutrality.
Environment Clean energy, environmental protection, and confronting the existential threat of climate change head on. Develop New Hampshire’s renewable energy portfolio. Stay in Paris Climate Agreement. Block drilling for oil off the state’s coast. Step up Congressional oversight on the administration.
Campaign finance reform Demand disclosure and transparency by expanding the rules for publicly traded companies, dark money groups, and social welfare organizations. Close loopholes for PAC contributions. Support Sarbanes’ ‘Government by the People’ Act to incentivize small dollar donations.  Get foreign money out of U.S. elections.
Fight the opioid crisis More resources for treatment and recovery programs. Ensure federal funding formulas do not disadvantage New Hampshire. Increase funding for prevention and education programs. Give law enforcement the tools they need. Improve states’ measurement of outcomes to demonstrate program effectiveness. Oppose the repeal of the ACA.
Veterans health Fight efforts to privatize the VA. Hold VA leadership accountable. Streamline bureaucracy and increase access. Fight for a full-service VA facility in New Hampshire while developing better community-based care for veterans. Make the Veterans Choice program permanent and attract more providers to participate.
Immigration Citizenship for Dreamers. Comprehensive immigration reform. Expand availability of H-2B visas for seasonal workers. Stand up to the efforts to end Temporary Protected Status for residents from dangerous parts of the globe.
Gun safety Universal background checks for all gun purchases. Ban the sale of assault weapons including the AR-15, bump stocks, and high capacity magazines. Red flag law that would allow family members and the justice system to intervene and prevent someone from doing harm to themselves or others.
LGBTQ+ Pass the Equality Act. Stand up to attacks on the transgender community. Require anti-harassment policies on college campuses. Ban “conversion” therapy for LGBTQ individuals. Preserve and improve the Affordable Care Act.
Infrastructure Build an intermodal system of transportation and modernize our infrastructure.
Foreign policy Congress must provide a check and balance on the Trump Administration and assert its role in shaping U.S. foreign policy and the use of military force. Strengthen our traditional alliances. Rebuild the State Department. Use military force only as a last resort. The administration must be required to seek authorization from Congress for further military incursions in the Middle East.

The list of contributors is from Open Secrets.

About this Author