Neither candidate in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH is very popular, reveals a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released June 26.
On June 25, former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown announced his intent to run against U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, in the race for New Hampshire’s open Senate seat in 2026. But a new poll shows that New Hampshire residents don’t find either candidate very favorable.
New Hampshire residents are divided on four-term Rep. Pappas, with 36% finding him favorable and 36% unfavorable. 70% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of him, but 40% of Independents and 66% of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of him.
But Brown is less popular than Pappas, with 38% of New Hampshire residents finding him unfavorable and just 12% finding him favorable, including just 24% of Republicans. 30% don’t know enough about him to say.
Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH (left), and former Sen. Scott Brown, R-MA (right), will face off in the race to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate.
The poll also looked at approval for Gov. Kelly Ayotte, her re-election, and the two Congressional races in 2026. It was based on the results of 1,320 surveys completed online from June 19 to June 23, 2025, with a margin of error of 2.7%.
What is Kelly Ayotte’s approval rating? Does she deserve re-election?
Per the poll, 53% of New Hampshire residents approve of Ayotte, up from 49% in May.
Those who approve of her handling of her job most often cite her handling of education (25%), immigration (17%) or the state budget (10%).
Those who disapprove also most often cite her handling of education (32%) and the state budget (11%).
Ayotte recently passed universal Education Freedom Accounts in New Hampshire into law, and is soon to pass the new state budget.
22% say they disapprove because they because they believe she supports President Donald Trump.
New Hampshire residents are divided on whether Ayotte deserves re-election, though, with 40% saying she does and 38% saying she doesn’t. It’s split by party, with 77% of Republicans and 32% of Independents saying she deserves re-election, while 72% of Democrats and 41% of Independents say she doesn’t.
However, the other current possible contenders, Democrat Tom Sherman (the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor) and Independent Jon Kiper (who lost the Democratic primary in 2024), are both not well known in the state.
Who should replace Pappas in the House?
Since Pappas is running for Senate in 2026, his seat representing New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District is open. So far, three candidates have declared their candidacy: former Portsmouth city councilor Stefany Shaheen, former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan, and Hampton selectwoman Carleigh Beriont.
Shaheen, who is Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter, is the most well-known out of the three candidates, but 32% have an unfavorable opinion about her. 17% have a favorable opinion and 35% don’t know enough about her to say.
Both Sullivan and Beriont are largely unknown in the First Congressional District, with 59% and 80% respectively saying they don’t know enough about them to say their opinion.
Shoud Maggie Goodlander be re-elected?
First-term Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH, has announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026, where she may face off again against Lily Tang Williams, who was the Republican nominee for this seat last year.
The two have about the same level of popularity in the district. 32% of Second District residents think Goodlander should be re-elected, 38% do not and 31% don’t know or have no opinion.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Should Scott Brown or Chris Pappas win NH Senate? New poll says this