Fact-check: Sununu and Pappas debate in Granite State ahead of US Senate midterm

Key Points:

• Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu debated solutions for rising living costs in New Hampshire, focusing on gas prices and healthcare, with less hostility than other Senate races this year.
• Sununu supported tariffs as a negotiation tactic but criticized some Trump-era tariffs as mistakes, while Pappas highlighted job losses linked to tariffs; fact-checkers found Sununu’s tariff stance nuanced rather than uniformly supportive.
• On the Iran war, Sununu initially supported the military action but later called it a tactical mistake due to lack of a plan to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, whereas Pappas accused him of backing the war without such a plan from the start.
• Pappas claimed Sununu’s net worth surged to $35 million due to lobbying work, but disclosures show a range between $7.9 million and $36.3 million, with Sununu never formally registered as a lobbyist; Pappas’ tax increase claims about Sununu were also found to be exaggerated.
• Pappas accurately noted Sununu proposed Social Security privatization efforts in the early 2000s, though Sununu emphasized his plans included guaranteed minimum benefits and voluntary participation, and the legislation was never enacted.