Kuster wins New Hampshire Democratic 2nd District primary

An Air Force veteran, a former Trump official and a combat nurse are among the Republican candidates for New Hampshire’s two congressional seats hoping to take on two Democratic incumbents in the November general election.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a freshman lawmaker, ran unopposed in the 1st District race. Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, seeking her fifth term representing the 2nd District, easily defeated Joseph Mirzoeff, a former trader who also worked for an insurance company and pension consulting firms.

The pandemic made voting in the primary much different this year, allowing people to request absentee ballots. More than 100,000 such requests were filed for the election in New Hampshire, and at least 75,000 of them have been returned, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Those in New Hampshire who did get out and vote Tuesday were met with various changes at their site, such as spaced-out check-in lines, election workers sitting behind shields, and separate areas for voters who declined to wear a mask or couldn’t do so for health reasons.

In a speech to supporters in Manchester, Pappas played up his roots in the city where his family runs a restaurant. He also highlighted his ability work with Republicans on legislation and hold leaders in Washington, D.C., accountable — including his complaints early on that they weren’t doing enough for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. He also talked about his work on the behalf of veterans.

“I hear from Granite Staters every day who are losing their jobs, losing their healthcare, losing their businesses, and losing loved ones,” Pappas told supporters gathered at a Manchester millyard. “This is not a time for politics as usual, it’s an all hands on deck moment where we must redouble our efforts to save our workers, small businesses, and communities from financial ruin."

In a statement, Kuster said she would continue to fight to lower prescription drug prices, advocate on behalf of veterans and protect the environment if she is re-elected in November's general election.

“I’m running for re-election because as we face the COVID-19 pandemic it is more important than ever that we focus on our shared goals and work together to lift all Granite State families," she said.

The 1st District has been a swing district of late but the 2nd has been solidly Democrat for years.

On the Republican side in the 1st District, Matt Mowers, a 31-year-old former official in President Donald Trump’s State Department, and Matt Mayberry, a 55-year-old Air Force veteran and realtor, are the favorites to take on Pappas. They are among five candidates running for a seat representing the district that covers the eastern part of the state, including parts of greater Manchester, the Lakes Region and the Seacoast.

Mowers has outraised Mayberry by about 4-1 and picked up a coveted endorsement from Trump. Mayberry has responded by accusing Mowers of being a carpetbagger looking to move back to New Hampshire just to win a House seat.

Both candidates have similar conservative views and support Trump’s agenda. They have promised to fight illegal immigration, continue building the wall at the southern border, defend the Second Amendment and would support congressional term limits.

The 2nd District race — encompassing a mostly rural district that stretches from New Hampshire’s border with Canada to the Massachusetts line — is shaping up to be a rematch between Kuster and Steve Negron, who owns a defense engineering and consulting company in Nashua. The other serious challenge is Lynne Blankenbeker, a combat nurse and Navy Reserve captain from Concord.

Negron, 59, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and former state House member, won the nomination in a seven-candidate race in 2018. Blakenbeker, 56, a lawyer who also served in the House, came in third. There are two other candidates.

Negron and Blankenbeker count among their priorities reducing health care costs, a strong national defense and a secure border. During a debate that aired Thursday on WMUR-TV, they agreed that the federal government should not treat gun violence like a pandemic, and that the military should not rename bases originally named for Confederate leaders.

Trump hasn’t endorsed anyone in the 2nd District but both Negron and Blankenbeker support the president.

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This story has been corrected to show that Kuster won the Democratic primary, not the Republican primary.