A new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found former U.S. Senator John E. Sununu leading U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas 45 percent to 43 percent in a hypothetical general-election matchup for New Hampshire’s open U.S. Senate seat.
The survey was conducted online August between August 20-24 among members of the probability-based Granite State Panel. A total of 2,143 New Hampshire residents completed it. Results among the 1,878 likely general-election voters carry a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
In addition to the two-point lead for Sununu, which fell within the survey’s margin of error, an additional five percent of respondents selected another candidate and 7 percent were undecided.
POLL: Would You Vote Against ANY Candidate Who Calls Themselves A Socialist?
UNH poll | 8/20-8/24
US Senate New Hampshire 2026
🟥John E. Sununu 45%
🟦Chris Pappas 43%
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🟦Chris Pappas 45%
🟥Scott Brown 40%
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US Senate New Hampshire Democratic primary 2026
🟦Chris Pappas 47%
🟦Karishma Manzur 34%Link to poll: https://t.co/9jXdDHNiWi pic.twitter.com/F700lsHpXQ
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) August 26, 2026
In UNH’s June poll, Pappas had led Sununu by three points with 47 percent to 44 percent of the vote. “In a general election matchup between Pappas and Sununu, 45% of likely general election voters say they would vote for Sununu if the general election were held today, 43% would vote for Pappas, 5% would vote for another candidate, and 7% are undecided. This race remains a statistical tie: in June, Pappas was three percentage points ahead of Sununu,” the survey center stated at the time.
Partisan breakdowns showed high loyalty on both sides, with 85 percent of Democrats supporting Pappas and 92 percent of Republicans saying the same for Pappas. Notable, a 41 percent plurality of independents expressed support for Sununu.
Polling aggregators that incorporate the August UNH results still show Pappas with a narrow overall lead, though the race has tightened in other recent polling results. As of late August, 270toWin listed Pappas at a 45.5 percent chance to win and Sununu at 43 percent. RealClearPolitics’ most recent published average, which predates the August UNH survey, had Pappas ahead by 2.0 to 3.3 points depending on the window used
The UNH poll is the first publicly released survey to place Sununu numerically ahead of Pappas. Combined with other recent surveys, the race remains close heading into the September primary and the November general election.
