Chris Pappas (American politician) explained

Chris Pappas
State:New Hampshire
Term Start:January 3, 2019
Predecessor:Carol Shea-Porter
Office1:Member of the
New Hampshire Executive Council
from the 4th district
Term Start1:January 3, 2013
Term End1:January 3, 2019
Predecessor1:Raymond Wieczorek
Successor1:Ted Gatsas
State House2:New Hampshire
District2:Hillsborough County
Term Start2:December 4, 2002
Term End2:December 6, 2010
Birth Name:Christopher Charles Pappas
Birth Date:4 June 1980
Birth Place:Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Education:Harvard University (BA)

Christopher Charles Pappas (; born June 4, 1980) is an American politician who has been the U.S. representative from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2019.[1] From 2013 to 2019, he represented the 4th district on the New Hampshire Executive Council. The district includes Manchester, two towns in Hillsborough, six towns in Merrimack, eight towns in Rockingham, and two towns in Strafford County.[2] [3]

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.[4] He was elected on November 6, 2018, and is the first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress.[5]

Early life and education

Pappas was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas. His paternal great-grandfather, also named Arthur Pappas, arrived in New Hampshire as a new American citizen in the early 20th century, having recently emigrated from Greece. In 1917 Arthur Pappas and his cousin Louis Canota founded an ice cream shop in Manchester. By 1919 they had expanded the business into a restaurant, now known as the Puritan Backroom, and in 1949 they added a function room. In 1974 Charlie Pappas, grandfather of Chris Pappas and co-owner of the Puritan at the time, invented the chicken tender. The business remains family-owned, and as of 2020 Chris Pappas was one of the owners.[6]

Pappas graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1998. He then attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Crimson.[7] [8] He earned his Bachelor of Arts in government in 2002.[9]

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.[10]

In 2006, Pappas was elected to the first of two terms as treasurer of Hillsborough County.[11] In 2010 he lost reelection to Robert Burns.[12]

In 2012, Pappas was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council, defeating Burns.[13] He was reelected in 2014[14] and 2016.[15]

In 2016, Pappas voted to extend substance abuse treatment to 140,000 New Hampshire residents.[16] [17] He also supported increased funding for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

For years, Pappas was floated as a potential candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives,[19] for U.S. Senator, or for governor of New Hampshire.[20] [21] 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.[22]

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.[23]

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,[24] with 53.6% of the vote.[25] He won every county except Belknap County.

2020

Pappas ran for reelection to a second term and was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[26] He defeated Republican Matt Mowers, the former Executive Director of the New Hampshire Republican Party and a former U.S. State Department staffer,[27] in the general election, receiving 51.32% of the vote.[28]

2022

Pappas was reelected in 2022, defeating Karoline Leavitt with 54% of the vote.[29] [30]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Pappas voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[34]

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.[35] 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.[36]

In August 2022, Pappas criticized President Biden's plan to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for those making less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, calling it "no way to make policy", and saying it did little to address the root cause of increasing costs of higher education.[37] [38]

On February 1, 2023, Pappas was among twelve Democrats to vote for a resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency.[39] [40]

Syria

In 2023, Pappas voted against H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[41] [42]

Personal life

Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester.[43] The Puritan Backroom is well-known in New Hampshire as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during the New Hampshire primary.[44]

Pappas is an Orthodox Christian and is affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[45]

Pappas became engaged to Vann Bentley in 2021.[46] They got married in February 2023.[47]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pappas takes historic 1st CD race. PAUL FEELY New Hampshire Union. Leader. UnionLeader.com. November 7, 2018. June 23, 2022. May 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220527130708/https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/pappas-takes-historic-1st-cd-race/article_2341aced-ae79-5f34-a75f-fb2fad100705.html. live.
  2. Web site: District 4 Councilor Chris C. Pappas. 2015. State of New Hampshire Executive Council. January 6, 2019. October 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201016224015/https://www.nh.gov/council/districts/d4/index.htm. live.
  3. http://www.nhpr.org/post/democrats-make-gains-executive-council "Democrats Make Gains On Executive Council"
  4. News: Manchester Democrat Chris Pappas announces bid for Shea-Porter seat. Concord Monitor. Paul. Steinhauser. November 9, 2017. November 9, 2017. July 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200722031655/https://www.concordmonitor.com/Pappas-decides-to-run-in-CD1-13639093. live.
  5. Web site: LGBTQ Candidates Record Historic Midterm Wins In Rainbow Wave | HuffPost . November 7, 2018 . Huffingtonpost.com . November 7, 2018 . February 19, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190219103659/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbtq-midterm-elections_us_5be29707e4b0dbe871a49ea0 . live .
  6. Web site: ANNOUNCING THE 2020 AMERICA'S CLASSICS WINNERS . James Beard Foundation . 30 July 2021 . May 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200512131130/https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/announcing-the-2020-americas-classics-winners . live .
  7. Web site: Christopher C. Pappas . The Harvard Crimson . November 17, 2019 . November 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211126232106/https://www.thecrimson.com/writer/729/Christopher_C._Pappas/ . live .
  8. Web site: Chris Pappas . The Harvard Crimson . November 17, 2019 . November 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211126234529/https://www.thecrimson.com/writer/2747/Chris__Pappas/ . live .
  9. News: Manchester, Redux. February 17, 2015. Harvard Magazine. January 26, 2018. en. January 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180127083842/https://harvardmagazine.com/2015/03/explorations-machester-redux. live.
  10. News: Chris Pappas has learned politics, family business from ground up New Hampshire. UnionLeader.com. November 4, 2016. October 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043928/http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140127/NEWS0202/140129475/-1/news0202. dead.
  11. http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/06/19/gay-n-h-executive-council-candidate-stumps-in-d-c/ "Gay N.H. Executive Council candidate stumps in D.C."
  12. Web site: County Offices – NHSOS. sos.nh.gov. September 13, 2018. September 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180913040615/http://sos.nh.gov/2010CtyGen.aspx?id=376. live.
  13. Web site: Executive Council – 2012 General Election – NHSOS. sos.nh.gov. 2018-12-04. December 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204102243/http://sos.nh.gov/2012ExeGen.aspx?id=27998. live.
  14. Web site: Executive Council – 2014 General Election – NHSOS. sos.nh.gov. 2018-12-04. December 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204102202/http://sos.nh.gov/Elections/Election_Information/2014_Elections/General_Election/Executive_Council_-_2014_General_Election.aspx?id=8589941797. live.
  15. News: New Hampshire 4th District Executive Council Results: Chris Pappas Wins. The New York Times. August 2017. 2018-12-04. en. December 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204103520/https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/new-hampshire-executive-council-district-4. live.
  16. Web site: Union Leader article: 140,000 in NH now eligible for addiction treatment under Medicaid.. April 5, 2023. October 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028094513/http://www.unionleader.com/140000-in-NH-now-eligible-for-addiction-treatment-under-Medicaid-07052016. dead.
  17. Web site: G&C Late Item Agenda #A2 from 6/15/16. October 28, 2017. October 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028093825/http://sos.nh.gov/nhsos_content.aspx?id=8589958703. live.
  18. Web site: Hassan, drug czar outline actions taken against drug crisis. April 5, 2023. October 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028102138/http://www.unionleader.com/article/20160825/NEWS12/160829640. dead.
  19. News: Executive Councilor Chris Pappas won't run for US House, backs Carol Shea-Porter. DiStaso. John. September 23, 2015. WMUR. October 20, 2016. October 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161020174022/http://www.wmur.com/article/executive-councilor-chris-pappas-won-t-run-for-us-house-backs-carol-shea-porter/5204200. live.
  20. News: Q&A: Chris Pappas likes mixing politics and ice cream New Hampshire. UnionLeader.com. October 20, 2016. October 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171027231807/http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20150412%2FNEWS06%2F150419854. dead.
  21. Web site: Hassan Waits to Choose Her Adventure in New Hampshire. August 31, 2015. Roll Call. October 20, 2016. October 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161020173040/http://www.rollcall.com/news/home/hassan-waits-choose-adventure-new-hampshire. live.
  22. News: WMUR first: Democrat Pappas announces candidacy for 1st District US House seat. WMUR. November 9, 2017. November 9, 2017. November 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171109202725/http://www.wmur.com/article/wmur-first-democrat-pappas-announces-candidacy-for-1st-district-us-house-seat/13509553. live.
  23. News: New Hampshire Primary Election Results. Almukhtar. Sarah. The New York Times. September 11, 2018. 2018-12-04. en. November 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181130075712/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/11/us/elections/results-new-hampshire-primary-elections.html. live.
  24. News: Eddie Edwards, Trump-backed candidate, wins New Hampshire Republican U.S. House primary. The Washington Times. 2018-12-04. en-US. December 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204151359/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/11/eddie-edwards-trump-backed-candidate-wins-new-hamp/. live.
  25. News: New Hampshire Election Results: First House District. 2018-12-04. en. December 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204102046/https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/new-hampshire-house-district-1. live.
  26. Web site: 2020 State Primary Democratic State Primary . New Hampshire Department of State . September 16, 2020 . October 17, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201017014610/https://sos.nh.gov/elections/elections/election-results/2020/2020-state-primary/democratic-state-primary/ . live .
  27. Web site: Sexton . Adam . Republicans Mayberry, Mowers push for chance to unseat Pappas in First Congressional District . WMUR 9 . August 29, 2020 . August 26, 2020 . September 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200913091056/https://www.wmur.com/article/matt-mayberry-matt-mowers-republican-1st-congressional-district-new-hampshire-primary-preview/33811331 . live .
  28. Web site: Gardner . William M. . Bill Gardner (politician) . 2020 General Election Results . New Hampshire Department of State . November 22, 2020 . November 19, 2020 . December 15, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201215182730/https://sos.nh.gov/elections/elections/election-results/2020/general-election/ . live .
  29. News: 2022 Election Information . New Hampshire Department of State . June 10, 2022 . June 8, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220608224239/https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/elections/2022-election-information . live .
  30. Shapiro . Walter . DeBrabander . Firmin . Tomasky . Michael . 2022-11-07 . The Northeast Is Supposed to Be Democrats' Stronghold. Instead, It's Where They Might Lose Their House Majority. . The New Republic . 2022-11-07 . 0028-6583 . November 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221107165757/https://newrepublic.com/article/168525/new-hampshire-midterms-chris-pappas-karoline-leavitt . live .
  31. Web site: House LGBT Caucus Denounces SCOTUS Decision on Trans Military Ban . LGBT Equality Caucus . en . 22 January 2019 . LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-4) . February 8, 2019 . February 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124307/https://lgbt-cicilline.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-lgbt-caucus-denounces-scotus-decision-on-trans-military-ban . live .
  32. Web site: Members. New Democrat Coalition. February 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208100356/https://newdemocratcoalition-himes.house.gov/members. February 8, 2018. dead.
  33. Web site: Members . August 19, 2021 . October 28, 2022 . October 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221028163628/https://houseprochoicecaucus-degette.house.gov/about-pcc/members . live .
  34. Web site: Bycoffe . Aaron . Wiederkehr . Anna . 2021-04-22 . Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden? . 2023-11-15 . FiveThirtyEight . en . November 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231115121219/https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/house/ . live .
  35. News: Daly . Matthew . House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level . June 4, 2021 . Associated Press . December 4, 2020 . June 3, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210603205504/https://apnews.com/article/politics-bills-coronavirus-pandemic-marijuana-1a7b63d9cf925c2452ea937d8a636125 . live .
  36. News: Sylvia . Andrew . Pappas one of six Democratic 'no' votes on marijuana decriminalization proposal . June 4, 2021 . Manchester Ink Link . December 4, 2020 . June 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210605140453/https://manchesterinklink.com/pappas-one-of-six-democratic-no-votes-on-marijuana-decriminalization-proposal/ . live .
  37. Web site: Vulnerable House Democrat rebukes Biden's $300 billion student loan handout: 'No way to make policy' . August 24, 2022 . Fox News . August 24, 2022 . August 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220824201118/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vulnerable-house-democrat-rebukes-biden-300-billion-student-loan-forgiveness-plan . live .
  38. Web site: Biden to cancel up to $20K student debt per borrower . McPherson . Lindsey . August 24, 2022 . Roll Call . August 24, 2022 . August 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220824190220/https://rollcall.com/2022/08/24/white-house-moves-to-cancel-up-to-20k-student-debt-per-borrower/ . live .
  39. Web site: House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency . February 2023 . February 21, 2023 . February 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221174625/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3839808-house-gop-passes-bill-to-end-covid-19-national-emergency/ . live .
  40. Web site: On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by . August 12, 2015 . February 21, 2023 . February 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221174625/https://projects.propublica.org/represent/votes/118/house/1/104 . live .
  41. Web site: H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023 . March 10, 2023 . March 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310180559/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/118-2023/h136 . live .
  42. Web site: House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria . US News & World Report . 8 March 2023 . 4 April 2023 . April 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404204512/https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2023-03-08/house-votes-down-bill-directing-removal-of-troops-from-syria . live .
  43. News: Hillary Clinton looks at home campaigning in New Hampshire. NY Daily News. October 20, 2016. October 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171007021457/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/hillary-clinton-home-campaigning-new-hampshire-article-1.1998473. live.
  44. Web site: Eating with the Presidential Candidates. Garnick. Darren. February 2016. New Hampshire Magazine. October 20, 2016. August 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170826185739/http://www.nhmagazine.com/February-2016/Eating-With-the-Presidential-Candidates/. live.
  45. Web site: 2021-01-07. Greek-American Leaders Criticize Capitol Riot, Call for Unity. 2021-02-12. GreekReporter.com. en-US. February 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226133541/https://greekreporter.com/2021/01/07/greek-american-leaders-criticize-capitol-riot-call-for-unity/. live.
  46. News: Street . Mikelle . Congressman Chris Pappas Announced He Is Engaged to Boyfriend . 17 February 2022 . www.advocate.com . 21 December 2021 . en . February 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220217034741/https://www.advocate.com/politics/2021/12/21/congressman-chris-pappas-announced-he-engaged-boyfriend . live .
  47. News: Polus . Sarah . Rep. Chris Pappas marries partner Vann Bentley . 2023-02-21 . The Hill . 20 February 2023 . en . February 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221182612/https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/3867221-rep-chris-pappas-marries-partner-vann-bentley/ . live .

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