Pappas On DSA Member Manzur: 'She Belongs In This Party'

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Running against Rep. Chris Pappas in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, DSA member Karishma Manzur called him “a poster child for the corruption in Congress” and a “genocide enabler.”

She condemned him as a “corporate Democrat” who was “controlled by his donors” rather than voting his conscience.

And she even accused “my AIPAC-bribed opponent” of taking “payoffs” from Israel to “vote against humanitarian aid to starving children in the middle of a famine,” earning a rebuke from the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire.

But none of that has stopped Pappas from saying Manzur “belongs” in the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

The political stakes are clear: Facing a competitive general election against Republican John Sununu, Pappas will need support from the nearly 50,000 voters who backed Manzur on Tuesday — about one-third of the Democratic primary electorate.

And so, despite Manzur’s refusal to attend the Democratic Party’s unity breakfast Wednesday, Pappas still made his appeal.

“This is a big tent, and we all belong,” Pappas told his fellow Democrats. “You know, last night I got a very gracious call from Dr. Karishma Manzur, and I salute her campaign and the passion she brought to what she was fighting for.

“And I know she’s going to keep fighting for democracy and for what she believes in, and she belongs in this party.”

Watch the C-SPAN clip.

Manzur had a different message during the campaign, pointedly refusing to commit to endorsing Pappas.

“I will support all Democrats up and down the ballot who actually adhere to Democratic values,” Manzur said.

Manzur ran as an uncompromising DSA Democrat. If she accepts Pappas’ invitation, she will bring policy positions well to his left, including support for a single-payer health care system that would replace most private insurance. She also supports abolishing ICE, access to gender-transition care for minors and other progressive priorities.

Manzur told radio talk host Chris Ryan that she is demanding Pappas embrace at least two of her positions to earn her support.

“I want Chris Pappas to support a single-payer universal healthcare program like Medicare for All. That is number one. Number two, he has to stop taking money from AIPAC or any foreign-aligned lobbyists. He can absolutely do that.”

Pappas has not adopted the Medicare for All position backed by Manzur and NH-01 Democratic nominee Stefany Shaheen. He also has a long history of identifying as a “pro-Israel Democrat” and has ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

And New Hampshire voters have generally backed more mainstream Democrats like Pappas, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, and Stefany Shaheen’s mother, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Is Pappas right? Is there room in the “big tent” for Manzur, who recently stood on a stage adorned with the flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran?

Granite State Republicans say Pappas’ embrace of Manzur is proof he has moved too far left for New Hampshire.

“Chris Pappas survived his primary by running to the far left. In the Senate, he would be Chuck Schumer’s rubber stamp — Washington first, Granite Staters last,” said Samantha Cantrell of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Sununu told radio host Jack Heath on Thursday that Pappas “has an ad calling himself a ‘progressive.’ And he refused to sign a letter condemning socialism signed by Rep. Maggie Goodlander.”

“Chris Pappas has cemented his place on the far-left fringe of the Democratic Party,” Sununu spokesman Mike Schrimpf added in a statement.

Polls show a tight race between Pappas and Sununu. If the election comes down to a few percentage points in November, progressive voters could provide the margin of victory or defeat.

That leaves Pappas trying to win Manzur’s supporters without embracing policy positions Republicans are eager to use against him.

Republicans argue that saying Manzur “belongs in this party” is just that — an embrace.

Manzur, meanwhile, does not appear eager to get on board with Pappas despite his invitation.

“I don’t care about the big blue tent,” she told an MS NOW reporter on Election Day. “Corruption does not belong in any tent. We are challenging the corruption in both parties.”

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.