The husband, the lobbyist, the committee

Chris Pappas runs on anti-corruption platform while husband works for company his committee oversees

Rep. Chris Pappas, the New Hampshire Democrat now running for U.S. Senate as a crusader against "corporate special interests," sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the same panel that oversees Uber, where his husband holds an executive policy role.

Uber spent $1.5 million lobbying Congress in the first quarter of 2026 alone, and its lobbyists have already contributed $5,250 to the Pappas Senate campaign.

Pappas's campaign website declares that he "knows the system is rigged against people and in favor of corporate special interests, dark money groups, and entrenched politicians." The arrangement between his committee seat, his husband's employer, and his own financial disclosures suggests the system may be working just fine, for the Pappas household.

The conflict, detailed by the Washington Free Beacon, traces back years and touches lobbying records, financial disclosures, regulatory filings, and a debate-stage denial that Pappas later had to walk back. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Vann Bentley, Pappas's husband, previously worked as a lobbyist for Amazon through 2019. He now serves as policy manager for cybersecurity and privacy at Uber. He is not currently registered as a lobbyist at the company, but his policy work puts him squarely inside Uber's government-facing operations.

Read about Democrat Chris Pappas