Data Show Democrat U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas' Bipartisan Boast Doesn't Match Record

By Leonard Robinson, NH Journal

When CBS News ran a false story attacking George W. Bush’s military service, The New York Times ran a headline describing the reporting as “fake but accurate.”

When it comes to Rep. Chris Pappas’ claims to be, as a press release from his office puts it, the “most bipartisan House Democrat” in Congress, The Times might report it as “accurate, but fake.”

In his campaign for U.S. Senate, Pappas is marketing himself as a centrist Democrat willing to reach across the aisle.

“Over the last few years, I’ve been rated as one of the most bipartisan members of the House Democratic Caucus because I know that we’ve got to put some wins on the board and get things done for the people of New Hampshire,” Pappas told WGIR’s Chris Ryan.

Is it true? Yes. Does it mean Pappas is a bipartisan maverick willing to buck his party?

The numbers say no.

As proof of his bipartisanship, Pappas points to The Lugar Center-McCourt School Bipartisan Index, calling it “an objective measure of how well members of opposite parties work with one another.”

But the Lugar Center only tracks how often a member of Congress co-sponsors legislation with at least one co-sponsor from the other party. As a result, members who are willing to put their names on a lot of bills — including long-shot legislation on obscure topics, or bills that have no chance of getting serious consideration — score higher than those who rarely co-sponsor but engage in serious bipartisan efforts on important issues.

For example, Pappas is a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation “To improve the safety of pasteurized donor human milk and enhance regulation,” as well as the “Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act of 2026.”

Pappas also touts his score in CQ Roll Call’s annual Vote Studies analysis, which, he says in a press release, shows he “broke from his party in House votes more than 97% of other Democrats and is among the most independent members of the 118th Congress.”

And that’s true.

What the press release doesn’t mention is that, in the 118th Congress, Democrats almost never broke from their party. And so while Pappas tied for No. 8 on the list of most renegade Democrats, he did so even as he voted with the Democratic majority 90% of the time.

Compare that to the most independent Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. He voted against his party 49% of the time. Pappas’ 10% breakaway rate wouldn’t even put him in the top 30 among Republican House members.

Pappas was also well behind Rep. Jared Golden next door in Maine. Golden’s 24% renegade rate put him at the top of the Democratic class.

Pappas’ voting record may explain why he’s not getting pushback from his own party for marketing himself as a maverick. Democratic leadership doesn’t seem to mind knowing that he’s by their side nine out of 10 times.

Republicans, however, have noticed. They say Pappas uses these statistics to distract from the fact that, on significant legislation supported by progressives, he’s a reliable vote. As Republican John E. Sununu is fond of pointing out, “When Nancy Pelosi was speaker, he voted with her 222 out of 223 possible times. That’s not New Hampshire.”

And it’s true. During the 116th (2019–2020) and 117th (2021–2022) Congresses when Pelosi was speaker, Pappas voted with the Democratic Party majority more than 99% of the time.

He supported federal legislation banning voter ID requirements and blocking states from banning biological males from women’s sports and spaces.

And the green-policy promoters at the League of Conservation Voters give him a higher score, 97%, on environmental activism than either Sens. Maggie Hassan, 94%, or Jeanne Shaheen, 91%.

“Chris Pappas is a wolf in sheep’s clothing who voted with Nancy Pelosi 222 out of 223 times. The truth is he wants to raise your taxes, implement the Green New Deal, and make New Hampshire a sanctuary state,” said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell.

It’s true that in 2025, Pappas’ bipartisan vote rate rose to 22%. But after Trump’s win and an apparent shift in American politics away from the Biden era, many Democrats decided to do some triangulation. In fact, Pappas’ 22% didn’t even put him into the top 20 of Democratic defectors.

(On average, House Democrats opposed Trump 88% of the time that year.)

Pappas would not respond to requests for comment about his record of bipartisanship — or lack thereof. In the past, he’s pointed to his membership in organizations like the center-left New Democrat Coalition, which claims to be “made up of 114 pragmatic House Democrats who work across the aisle and across the Capitol to advance innovative, inclusive, and forward-looking policies.”

Meanwhile, Pappas continues to vote against bipartisan initiatives. When Republicans brought legislation to the floor last year making illegal aliens guilty of driving under the influence immediately deportable, 37 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote yes.

Pappas was not one of them.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.