Is Chris Pappas the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate?

Yes, according to the BBC's Global News Podcast. Chris Pappas was projected by CBS, the BBC's US partner, to win the New Hampshire Senate race in November 2026, and if confirmed he becomes the first openly gay man to serve as a US senator. In his victory speech he thanked his husband, Van, and said that win, lose or draw he was the luckiest guy.

The same night Keisha Lance Bottoms was projected to become Georgia's first Black and first female governor, and the first Black woman governor of any US state.

▸In their words

“I'm the luckiest guy because I'm married to a man that I love.” Chris Pappas · at 9:33 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-04). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode

Q1Did Democrats win the House in the 2026 US midterms, according to the BBC's Global News Podcast?Q2How did Roy Cooper flip North Carolina's Senate seat in the 2026 midterms?Q3What does Sarah Smith say a Democratic House can do in Trump's last two years?Q4Why does Iowa farmer Ryan Marcord blame Trump's tariffs for his rising costs?Q5How does Lyse Doucet say the 2026 midterms could affect the Iran and Ukraine wars?Q6How big was James Talarico's Texas Senate win for Democrats in the 2026 midterms?

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