This originally appeared as a special edition of The Rundown, our daily newsletter that aims to help you stay informed — but not overwhelmed. Want to sign up? Subscribe here!

On Sept. 8, Granite Staters will head to the polls to decide who will appear on the general election ballot in November. So every day this week, we’ll be breaking down the biggest primary races.

First up: New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District (also known as “CD1”). The district includes much of the Southern Tier, Seacoast, Lakes Region, Mount Washington Valley, and parts of Greater Manchester. (If you need to double check whether you vote in this district, you can look up a sample ballot here.)

The big picture

The race is high stakes … and very crowded. Four-term incumbent Chris Pappas has kept this seat reliably blue lately. But with him out of the picture to run for U.S. Senate, Republicans think they have a shot to flip it, which makes it especially important as both parties jockey for control over Congress. So far, with lots of candidates and no clear frontrunners, the races appear to be wide open.

To help you get to know each candidate, we’ve compiled their campaign websites, Citizens Count profiles, and video interviews with WMUR and Manchester Public TV where available. Later this fall, NHPR will host our own candidate forums with the winners of each primary. 

The state of the race: Democrats

With eight Democrats on the ballot, it’s all up in the air. With a large candidate pool and mostly undecided voter population, most candidates are simply trying to stand out — which is why name recognition can go a long way. That said, some differences have begun to emerge on issues like health care reform that could help voters parse through the field. The latest polling shows a tight race between Shaheen and Sullivan, with Beriont not far behind.

Note: Rep. Heath Howard, a Strafford state lawmaker, recently suspended his campaign and endorsed Beriont, but his name will still be on the September ballot.

The state of the race: Republicans

With four candidates, Trump may tip the scales. With few major differences between the candidates on paper (think: business backgrounds, local roots, and a pro-Trump agenda), the campaigns have turned to their biographies and personal accomplishments to attract voters. But President Trump’s July endorsement of DiLorenzo gave his campaign a significant boost, and may prove to be the differentiating factor.

Note: Melissa Bailey, vice chair of the Bedford Republican Committee, dropped out of the primary in July and endorsed DiLorenzo, but she will still appear on the ballot.

Go deeper

• What’s most important to you when casting your vote? Let us know what’s on your mind. Your perspective will help us better serve you and other New Hampshire voters this election season.