Who Is Vann Bentley? The Former Amazon Lobbyist Married to New Hampshire Senator-Elect Chris Pappas

Vann Bentley is a lawyer and technology policy specialist whose career has intersected with two issues in his husband Chris Pappas's political story: corporate lobbying and the regulation of major technology companies.

Bentley, a former registered lobbyist for Amazon, now works on privacy and cybersecurity policy for Uber, according to FactCheck.org. He has attracted renewed attention after Pappas won New Hampshire's open US Senate seat on 3 November, defeating Republican John E. Sununu. Pappas will succeed retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and become the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

Bentley and Pappas married on 4 February 2023 at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, according to a spokesperson quoted by the New Hampshire Union Leader. They announced their engagement in December 2021. Pappas announced the marriage publicly, writing: 'Vann and I are excited to share that we're married!'

From Amazon Lobbying to Technology Policy

Bentley joined Amazon in September 2014 as a legal policy intern and was promoted to policy counsel in May 2015, according to PolitiFact. He left the company in November 2019. Amazon listed him as a lobbyist in each of its four quarterly lobbying-disclosure filings that year.

FactCheck.org reported in October 2026 that Bentley works on privacy and cybersecurity policy for Uber and is no longer registered as a lobbyist. His Amazon career became a campaign issue because Pappas was serving in Congress while Bentley worked for the company and voted on legislation it had lobbied on.

Amazon Lobbying Claims Resurfaced During Senate Race

A 2026 Senate Leadership Fund advertisement accused Pappas of lying about dating an Amazon lobbyist before voting on bills the company had lobbied on. PolitiFact rated the claim 'Mostly False', finding no evidence that Pappas had lied about the relationship and saying the advertisement omitted important context.

Pappas's campaign told PolitiFact that the couple began dating in spring 2019. Bentley left Amazon that November. The fact-check identified seven bills Pappas voted on while Bentley was lobbying for the company. Pappas voted with most of the Democratic caucus on all seven; three votes aligned with positions he had expressed before the relationship, while two went against Amazon's position. Four were major spending or national security authorisation measures.

The findings do not erase the overlap between Bentley's lobbying work and Pappas's congressional votes. They do, however, complicate the advertisement's suggestion that the relationship explains the congressman's decisions.

Uber Work Also Drew Political Scrutiny

Bentley's current role at Uber also became part of the 2026 campaign debate. FactCheck.org examined an advertisement claiming Pappas had voted to make it harder to sue ride-hailing companies over harm caused by drivers.

Pappas voted against the liability-shield amendment in the BUILD America 250 Act, but later voted to advance the wider transportation bill containing it. He also called for the provision to be removed. The bill had not received a final House vote when FactCheck.org published its review on 30 October.

FactCheck.org also rejected an advertisement's claim that Pappas's net worth had risen by more than 1,000 per cent. It said the calculation used inconsistent ends of asset and liability ranges and that later disclosures included Bentley's Uber and Amazon shares and retirement account. Pappas's largest asset remained his stake in the family restaurant.

A Private Life Behind a Public Career

Pappas has credited Bentley with supporting his political ambitions. In a June 2025 interview with LGBTQ Nation, he said: 'In politics, you could not do something like this without having supportive family behind you.'

Pappas also spoke about coming out while at college and said the couple enjoyed being uncles. They live in Manchester, where Pappas grew up. His campaign biography says they enjoy running, competitive board games and spending time with extended family.

Family Business Shaped Pappas's Politics

Pappas's public life is closely tied to the Puritan Backroom, the Manchester restaurant his family has operated for generations. His great-grandfather, Arthur Pappas, and fellow Greek immigrant Louis Canotas opened an ice cream and candy shop in 1917. The family later expanded into restaurants, and the second generation opened the Puritan Backroom in 1974.

Pappas has described working in the family business as formative. In a 2019 interview with New Hampshire Public Radio, he said: 'You treat others that you work with like they're members of your extended family.'

He entered the New Hampshire House at 22, served three terms on the state's Executive Council and was elected to Congress in 2018. He is due to take his seat in the Senate in January 2027.