CONCORD, NH – On June 9, Greek-American Congressman Chris Pappas officially filed for re-election at the New Hampshire State House, citing his commitment to seeing New Hampshire through the COVID-19 crisis and bringing people together to meet this moment. The First Congressional district is one of the most competitive seats in the country.

The campaign also released a video of supporters sharing why they’re voting to re-elect Chris.

“Today I'm declaring my candidacy for re-election — because in these trying times there's so much more work to do,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “We might not know what’s around the corner, but I do know that there's only one way forward: together. Whether it's ensuring access to health care, growing the economy, building the infrastructure of tomorrow, supporting our veterans, or protecting the environment, we must work with an urgent sense of common purpose as Granite Staters and Americans.”

“It's time to turn the page from the exhausting, cynical, spin cycle of politics as usual and take our democracy to a higher place. Granite Staters deserve leadership that doesn’t focus on political games, but instead understands that this is a time for working together. I pledge to you to do all I can to ensure New Hampshire weathers this crisis and thrives in the future.  And I promise that I will continue to be there to serve all of the residents of the First District as your representative – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.”

A lifelong resident of Manchester, Pappas ran his 103 year-old family restaurant business before being elected to Congress.

As a three term member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, he worked with governors of both parties to implement Medicaid expansion, expand treatment and recovery services, approve funding for family planning providers, and support renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

In Congress, Pappas focuses on the issues that matter most to Granite Staters, including improving access to health care, lowering the high cost of prescription drugs, combating the addiction epidemic, protecting our environment and drinking water, and fighting for New Hampshire’s Main Street businesses. 

Greek-American Congressman Chris Pappas, at right, filing the paperwork for his re-election campaign. (Photo: Courtesy of Congressman Chris Pappas)

As the Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Pappas is committed to holding VA leadership accountable while serving our veterans who have sacrificed so much. He is working to protect whistleblowers who come forward to report waste, fraud, and abuse and to ensure that more veterans can access quality care in their communities. 

Pappas also serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where he is fighting to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and invest in projects that will create jobs and improve quality of life in New Hampshire. The INVEST in America Act introduced last week will bring more than $1.3 billion to New Hampshire for infrastructure projects, a 30% in prewar over current allocations.

In 2018, Pappas made history as the first openly gay Representative to be elected to Congress from New Hampshire, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the House of Representatives LGBTQ Equality Caucus. He is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act and was a leader in the fight to pass the bill in the House last year. The landmark legislation amends existing civil right law to provide LGBTQ Americans with the same protections as other Americans in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations.

Pappas is also a co-sponsor of H.R. 1, known as the For The People Act, which is a sweeping democracy reform legislation that would fix our broken campaign finance system, end the culture of corruption in Washington, and protect and expand the right to vote. This bill makes good on Chris’s promise to make Washington work for regular people, get rid of the corrosive influence of big money in our political system, and return power back to the people.  

Greek-American Congressman Chris Pappas filing the paperwork for his re-election campaign in New Hampshire. (Photo: Courtesy of Congressman Chris Pappas)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pappas’ commitment to the people of New Hampshire has been clear. He has held twelve telephone town halls, reaching more than 100,000 Granite Staters, to answer their questions and connect them with essential resources. He has held hundreds of conversations with small businesses, local government officials, non-profits, veterans service organizations, postal workers, and constituents; and brought their voices back to Washington to secure funding for local governments, make much needed changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to help New Hampshire’s small businesses weather this crisis, and ensure veterans have access to the care they need. 

More information about Rep. Chris Pappas is available online: https://www.chrispappas.org.