Pappas was born in Manchester, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas. His paternal great-grandfather arrived in New Hampshire as a new American citizen in the early 20th century, having recently emigrated from Greece. Pappas graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1998. He then attended Harvard College, where he wrote for The Harvard Crimson. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government in 2002. He has also served as a board member of Southern New Hampshire Services and the Manchester Historic Association.
Early political career
In 1996 as a high school student, Pappas met then-State Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who was running for Governor at the time. He signed on as a volunteer for Shaheen's campaign, marking his first foray into politics. First elected to public office in 2002, Pappas served two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. In 2006, Pappas was elected to the first of two terms as treasurer of Hillsborough County. In 2010 he lost reelection to Robert Burns. In 2012, Pappas was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council, defeating Hillsborough County Treasuer Robert Burns. He was reelected in 2014 and 2016.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018 general election
For years, Pappas was floated as a potential candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, for U.S. Senator, or for Governor of New Hampshire. Following U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter's announcement that she would not seek reelection in 2018, Pappas announced his candidacy for her seat, representing New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. On September 12, Pappas defeated ten other candidates, including former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public AffairsMaura Sullivan and Levi Sanders, son of Bernie Sanders, in the Democratic primary. Pappas received 42.2% of the vote Pappas defeated Republican Eddie Edwards, a former member of the New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement and former police chief, in the general election, receiving 53.6% of the vote. Pappas won all but one county in the general election.
In 2016, Pappas voted in favor of extending substance abuse treatment to 140,000 New Hampshire residents. He also supported increased funding for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery. Pappas criticized Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro. In March 2019 he and 29 other Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter to Secretary of StateMike Pompeo that read in part, "Since the election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro as president, we have been particularly alarmed by the threat Bolsonaro’s agenda poses to the LGBTQ+ community and other minority communities, women, labor activists, and political dissidents in Brazil." In July 2020 Pappas voted against a proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021 that would reduce the authorization amount by 10%, excluding military personnel, United States Department of Defense civilian workforce, and defense health program accounts.
Personal life
Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Puritan Backroom is well known within the state as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during the New Hampshire primary. Pappas is single and has never been married, although he has said he hopes marriage and children are in his future. Pappas is openly gay.
