Former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown entered the 2026 race for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire on Wednesday, saying he wants a better America.
Brown, a 65-year-old Republican and former U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa under President Donald Trump, is running for the seat being vacated by three-term U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), who announced her retirement in March.
If he wins the nomination, Brown may face U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire), the favorite to win the state's Democratic nomination, in the general election.
“My life has been the American story, but I worry about what America is going to look like for my four grandchildren — and all of yours,” Brown said in a launch video released Wednesday, June 25.
Brown also took direct aim at Pappas, accusing him of backing President Joe Biden’s policies and supporting a political agenda that “opened the border, drove up the cost of everything, and made life simply unaffordable.”
In a social media post, Brown added that he is running “to restore common sense, keep our border secure, and fight for our New Hampshire values.”
Pappas, who is serving his third term in the U.S. House, responded to Brown’s announcement by emphasizing his record on bipartisan legislation and issues affecting working-class families.
“I got into this race because Granite Staters made it clear they want a senator grounded in their values,” Pappas said in a written statement. “They know where I stand – taking on special interests to lower prescription drug costs, pushing to find bipartisan solutions to stop predatory companies from scamming veterans, and fighting to lower taxes for small businesses and families.”
Pappas also accused Brown of prioritizing corporate interests and aligning too closely with the Trump agenda.
“While Scott Brown looks for yet another opportunity to do Wall Street’s bidding and blindly support President Trump and his agenda, I’ll always put New Hampshire first,” Pappas said.
Brown served as a Wrentham selectman, a state representative, and a state senator in Massachusetts before entering federal politics.
He represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010 to 2012, winning a special election after the death of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. He lost are-election bid to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge) in 2012; Warren won the race 54 percent to 46 percent.
Brown later moved to New Hampshire and was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the state in 2014, losing to Shaheen by about 3 percentage points.
Brown lives in Rye, New Hampshire. He is also known for fronting the rock band Scott Brown and the Diplomats.
Brown was the subject of a Five Questions interview in New Boston Post in May 2023.
No other major candidates have entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire so far. Former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, declined to run earlier this year; U.S. Representative Maggie Goodlander (D-New Hampshire) said in May she would not seek the seat.
The race is expected to be closely watched nationally, as control of the U.S. Senate could be up for grabs in the 2026 midterms.
Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the race as “Lean Democratic,” while Inside Elections labels it “Battleground Democratic.”
