A Manchester state representative is preparing to enter the GOP primary for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, while one of the city’s most prominent Republicans tells NHJournal he’s sitting this race out.
Rep. Brian Cole is inviting supporters to join him on Monday, August 4, as he “makes a major announcement about a possible run for Congress.”
Cole would become the third Republican in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D). The three-term Democrat is seeking to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and currently faces no primary challenger.
Businessman and veteran Chris Bright, who ran in the 2024 GOP primary, has announced he is seeking the nomination again. Melissa Bailey, vice chair of the Bedford Republican Committee and a member of the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, has also launched her campaign. (The official filing period for the race does not open until June 2025.)
And New Hampshire GOP state vice chair Hollie Noveletsky has hinted she may run again, too.
Manchester Board of Aldermen Chair Joe Kelly Levasseur, who also ran in 2024, had previously hinted at another bid. But he told NHJournal this week that 2026 is not the right time.
“I like running in presidential years,” Levasseur said.
Several Granite State political observers pointed to Cole’s Manchester roots as a potential strength. The Southern New Hampshire University graduate — with a degree in economics and finance and an associate’s degree in accounting — has lived in Manchester since 1998. He is currently serving his second term representing the Queen City in the New Hampshire House.
Manchester holds strategic significance in the NH-01 general election: one out of every six votes cast in the district will come from the city. Though historically Democratic, Manchester has trended more Republican in recent years, particularly during the Trump era.
The Democratic Party has struggled in the Queen City, nearly failing to field a candidate for mayor in the last municipal election. School board member Jessica Spillers entered the race at the last minute, avoiding the embarrassment of leaving Republican Mayor Jay Ruais unopposed. With that backdrop, some observers wonder: could a Republican candidate from Manchester give the GOP an edge?
If so, they’ll need it. Democrats have won six of the last seven elections in the First Congressional District since the 2010 Tea Party wave.
“We know what city and state elections look like in Manchester without Chris Pappas,” one GOP operative told NHJournal on background. “What we don’t know is what a federal race in Manchester looks like without him.”
When Cole enters the race, his presence won’t force anyone out.
Asked if Cole’s decision to run would affect her own, Noveletsky said no. “It doesn’t change my consideration.”
“We welcome anyone who wants to jump into the race; that’s what primaries are for. We’re hitting the ground hard across the district, especially in Manchester, and building the team needed to win. The real battle is against the radical left next November.” Caleb Labbe, manager of the Chris Bright campaign, said, “We welcome anyone who wants to jump into the race; that’s what primaries are for. We’re hitting the ground hard across the district, especially in Manchester, and building the team needed to win. The real battle is against the radical left next November.”
Meanwhile, Democrats are rapidly filling their primary field. The most high-profile candidate so far is Stefany Shaheen, daughter of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Iraq War veteran Maura Sullivan, who served in the Obama administration’s VA Department, has raised the most money to date.
Other Democratic contenders include Hampton Selectwoman and Harvard instructor Carleigh Beriont, nonprofit director Sarah Chadzynski, and Christian Urrutia, an attorney and Army National Guard captain. More candidates are expected to enter the race.
And on Wednesday, state Rep. Heath Howard (D-Strafford) announced he’s entering the race as well. Howard, 25, recently made headlines by declaring the arrest of an illegal immigrant by ICE an “abduction.”
