U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas just announced he wants to be New Hampshire’s next U.S. senator. If he wins next year, one issue he’ll face is whether the Senate should keep its filibuster rule.
It’s a hotly debated issue in the upper chamber, where the requirement that nearly all legislation get 60 votes to end debate and move to the Senate floor for a vote has long been viewed as an important protection for the minority party. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, and it’s unlikely Democrats will flip the chamber in the 2026 elections.
It’s an issue that’s plagued Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both of whom supported keeping the filibuster when they were in the minority, then flip-flopped and voted to end it while in the majority. Neither would respond to questions from NHJournal regarding their current position.
WMUR’s Adam Sexton asked Pappas if he thinks it’s time to end the filibuster. A verbatim transcript of the Democratic congressman’s answer is below.
SEXTON: “Cory Booker just gave the longest speech in the history of the U.S. Senate. If you do end up serving in the Senate, do you think it’s time to end the filibuster?”
PAPPAS: “Well, I think it’s a time to make sure that Washington is working for us, and there’s long standing frustration that the system is not set up for success, that corporations and special interests have far too much influence in Washington, D.C., and that even good ideas take so long if they ever reach the finish line. And we’ve got to figure out how government can deliver on its promise to the people: for safer, stronger communities, for strong public education, to protect our environment, to safeguard personal freedoms, and surely in this moment, to stand up for our democracy, for the right to vote.
“And so I think that there are a number of steps we can take to shore up our democracy, to level the playing field, to make sure that voters are in the driver’s seat, that their voices are heard in Washington. And I intend to have a very active profile in our district, as I have during my time in Congress.
“I’m going to be crisscrossing the state during the Senate campaign, but if I have the honor to be able to serve the people of New Hampshire in the Senate, this is about getting stuff done. It’s about standing up for what’s right and confronting those who are standing in the way of progress. And I’ll do that in the Senate in the same way I’ve done it in the House.”
SEXTON: “Just to clarify: So you’re open to the idea of ending the filibuster?”
PAPPAS: “Well, I think right now, we have to focus on how we use all the possible tools we have at our disposal to protect what’s important to New Hampshire, and so whether that’s standing up and confronting this administration or fighting for progress, we have to be willing to have those conversations about how we bring people together around solutions and actually get some things done in Washington. That’s been my track record.
“And I think people have a frustration generally with the pace of which, pace in terms of how Washington works to address issues. And at the end of the day, this has to be about how we translate the will of the voters into action in Washington, D.C., and I’m committed to doing that.”
