Three-term state Sen. Dan Innis (R-Bradford) jumped into the U.S. Senate primary Wednesday, declaring himself the GOP’s best chance to defeat likely Democratic nominee U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas.
“I’m running to take our New Hampshire values down to Washington and fill the void that’s being left by the four people we have down there today,” Innis told NHJournal. “Chris Pappas, in particular, has sort of lost touch with New Hampshire voters and with the issues that really resonate with us.
“And I think given my background and experience in business, in academics, and in life in general, I’m pretty well qualified to go down there and get things done.”
Innis, 62, is a professor of marketing and hospitality management at the University of New Hampshire and owner of Trails End Farm in Bradford, N.H.
Innis ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 GOP NH-01 primary, and dropped out of the 2016 primary for the same seat.
Innis is also chairman of the national Log Cabin Republicans, the GOP’s largest LGBT organization. Several media organizations have noted that since Innis and Pappas are both gay, a race between the two would assure the election of the first openly gay man in the U.S. Senate.
Innis told NHJournal he’s not interested in identity politics.
“I’m a Republican who happens to be gay. Being gay does not define me,” Innis said. “I’m running on conservative principles and values.”
Asked if being a college professor would be a bigger problem for voters than his sexuality, Innis laughed. “It probably should be.”
Pappas currently has no primary opponent and is all but certain to be the Democratic nominee. Innis says his working-class background is the reason he’s the best candidate to take on Pappas.
“Chris Pappas went to Harvard. I went to public schools and public universities — and that’s a big difference. When you go to a place like Harvard, your values change. And Harvard’s values are not New Hampshire values.
“He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I was born with a wooden spoon in my hand. I think that describes the difference.”
Before he gets to face off against Pappas, however, Innis will have to get past former U.S. Sen. and ambassador Scott Brown, who announced his candidacy last month.
A decade ago, Brown narrowly lost to incumbent Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring from the Senate next year. Since then, he’s been actively campaigning on behalf of GOP candidates, including in the First in the Nation presidential primary.
Brown has more statewide name ID, and he’s already touting more than 200 endorsements — including the New England Police Benevolent Association’s backing he picked up last week. But the word from Washington is that one endorsement he’ll struggle to get will be from his old boss, Donald Trump.
Brown served as ambassador to New Zealand during Trump’s first term, but he angered many in Trump World when he said the president “absolutely bears responsibility” for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot. Speculation in D.C. is that the White House isn’t thrilled by the prospect of a Brown nomination.
Brown says he would like to have Trump’s endorsement, but he told WMUR’s Adam Sexton on Sunday, “I don’t know what he’s going to do or when he’s going to do it.”
Innis told NHJournal he’s been with Trump “from the beginning.”
“In 2016, the Log Cabin Republicans declined to endorse the president, and I was beyond annoyed. I was on the board and voted in favor of endorsing Trump. The board made the wrong decision, and in 2020, we corrected that.”
Innis says he’s not worried about the impact of Trump on the general election, noting the Republican came within three points of carrying New Hampshire last year.
“I know a lot of people have a difficult time with the president’s personality. I’m not one of those,” Innis said on Jack Heath’s radio show. “Some in the media say, ‘Oh, the chaos around tariffs.’ I think all of that is somewhat intentional. This is the way a lot of business people operate, and the media doesn’t quite get that.
“I think he’s doing one heck of a job getting his agenda implemented, and it’s working for the American people.”
Rumors persist that at least one more Republican will enter the primary. The most commonly mentioned name is businessman and philanthropist Phil Taub. His “Swim With a Mission” charity has raised close to $20 million for veterans.
Brown says he’s not concerned about a primary fight.
“Unlike the Democrats and their coronation process, New Hampshire Republicans take the primary process seriously,” Brown posted on social media. “I intend to campaign the New Hampshire way and look forward to a rigorous debate of the issues so that voters can choose the candidate with the experience, credentials, and vision to take the fight to Chris Pappas next fall.
“Without a battle-tested candidate capable of standing up to the well-financed Democratic machine, we will get stuck with Chris Pappas in the Senate for the next 30 years.”
