Chris Pappas (politician)
Christopher Charles Pappas ( ; born June 4, 1980) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2019. From 2013 to 2019, he represented the 4th district on the New Hampshire Executive Council. This includes Manchester along with two additional towns in Hillsborough, six towns in Merrimack, eight towns in Rockingham, and two towns in Strafford County. A member of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Pappas was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 election to succeed Carol Shea-Porter. He was  elected on November 6, 2018, and is the first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress. Early life and education. Pappas was born in Manchester, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas. His paternal great-grandfather arrived in New Hampshire as a new American citizen in the early 20th century, having recently emigrated from Greece. Arthur Pappas and Louis Canota opened an ice cream shop and in 1974, their children added on a back room as a restaurant, the Puritan Backroom. As of 2020, Chris was one of its owners. Pappas graduated from Manchester Central High School in  1998. He then attended Harvard College, where he wrote for "The Harvard Crimson". He earned his Bachelor of Arts in government in 2002. Early political career. In 1996, while in high school, Pappas met then-State Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who was running for governor at the time. He signed on as a volunteer for Shaheen's campaign, marking his first foray into politics. First elected in 2002, Pappas served two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. In 2006, Pappas was elected to the first of two terms as treasurer of Hillsborough County. In 2010 he lost reelection to  Robert Burns. In 2012, Pappas was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council, defeating Burns. He was reelected in 2014 and 2016. In 2016, Pappas voted to extend substance abuse treatment to 140,000 New Hampshire residents. He also supported increased funding for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery. U.S. House of Representatives. Elections. For years, Pappas was floated as a potential candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, for U.S. Senator, or for governor of New Hampshire. After U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter announced that she would not seek reelection in 2018, Pappas announced his candidacy for her seat, representing  New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. In the September 12 Democratic primary, Pappas defeated ten other candidates, including former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Maura Sullivan and Bernie Sanders's son Levi Sanders, with 42.2% of the vote. Pappas defeated Republican Eddie Edwards, a former member of the New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement and former police chief, in the general election, with 53.6% of the vote. He won every county except Belknap County. Pappas ran for reelection to a second term and was unopposed in the Democratic primary. He defeated Republican Matt Mowers, the  former Executive Director of the New Hampshire Republican Party and a former U.S. State Department staffer, in the general election, receiving 51.32% of the vote. Political positions. As of March 2022, Pappas had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time. Pappas was one of six House Democrats to vote against the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to legalize cannabis at the federal level in 2020. Pappas said he supports removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, but that he had concerns with other provisions of the bill and felt that it  was being rushed through. Personal life. Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester. The Puritan Backroom is well-known in New Hampshire as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during the New Hampshire primary. Pappas is an Orthodox Christian and is affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Pappas is gay. In December 2021, Pappas became engaged to Vann Bentley.