Chris Pappas Vows to Vote Against Anti-LGBTQ Judicial Nominees
U.S. Senator-elect Chris Pappas wants to ensure Trump's judicial nominees won't attempt to overturn marriage equality or undermine LGBTQ rights.
U.S. Sen.-elect Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) says he’s prepared to vote against President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees if they won’t commit to respecting Supreme Court precedents that protect LGBTQ rights, including marriage equality.
“I need to know that [the nominees] respect the precedent that has been set in Obergefell and other decisions that have ensured a right to privacy and ensured that individuals have the freedom to be themselves and make their own decisions,” Pappas told The Advocate‘s Christopher Wiggins in a post-election interview.
Pappas, who became the first out gay man elected to the U.S. Senate by defeating former U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R), said he would withhold support from judicial nominees who refuse to follow Supreme Court precedent or decline to answer questions about their views on LGBTQ equality.
“And this is so much bigger than me,” he added. “This is about how we have a government that reflects the diversity of this country, but also the desire for change, the desire to make progress again, the desire to confront the damage of the Trump administration.”
In his election night victory speech, Pappas thanked his husband, Vann Bentley, whom he married in 2023, for standing by him during the campaign. “[H]e’s always been by my side,” Pappas said. “And win, lose, or draw, I’m the luckiest guy, because I’m married to a man I love.”
The two briefly embraced on stage, as shown in a video from USA Today.
“I’m not sure I would’ve made it through this process were it not for him,” Pappas told The Advocate.
Pappas said last week’s election results also offered a lesson for politicians who targeted LGBTQ people or sought to roll back their rights. “I think this election showed that there are very diminishing returns to the cynical attacks on the LGBTQ community,” he said.
Earlier this year, Pappas told Metro Weekly that while his home state of New Hampshire has generally welcomed LGBTQ people — in keeping with its “live and let live” philosophy — Republican state lawmakers have pushed to roll back some legal protections for them.
But he said he believed New Hampshire residents would ultimately resist those efforts.
“[W] hat I know about my state, having lived there my entire life, is that people are compassionate; they want everyone to have the same rights and responsibilities,” Pappas said at the time. “But once you talk to the broad swath of voters out there, they value diversity and want everyone to be included. And I hope we can get back to that broader conversation and get past these really cynical attacks that are, I think, doing a lot of damage to LGBTQ individuals.”
Pappas also said Democrats’ victories were largely driven by voters’ concerns about the cost of living, including the impact of tariffs on grocery prices and other household expenses. He urged fellow Democrats to lower costs, reverse Medicaid cuts, and use their oversight powers to hold the Trump administration accountable.
“We have to provide meaningful oversight of the administration and root out corruption where we see it and work every day to make life better for folks across this country who are struggling,” he said.
Pappas said he hoped his victory would show LGBTQ young people that change is possible, even if it comes slowly.
“My message is that we’re not done making progress yet,” he told The Advocate. “We have to make sure that everyone has the same rights and responsibilities, that everyone is treated equally before the law, that everyone has the same opportunity to build their life and to reach their dreams.”
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