- Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) won New Hampshire's open Senate seat in 2024 by 1.2 points, succeeding retiring Jeanne Shaheen in one of 2024's most competitive Senate races.
- New Hampshire is a true battleground — won by Biden by 7 in 2020 but trending competitive, with independent voters and a mix of rural conservative and suburban liberal communities.
- She is a former national security aide who worked in the Obama White House and later became an attorney — her background positions her as a moderate Democrat in the Shaheen mold.
- As a freshman senator in 2025-26, Goodlander is building her legislative profile — focus areas include defense, veterans' affairs, and New Hampshire's manufacturing and tech economy.
National Security Lawyer Turned New Hampshire Politician
Maggie Goodlander arrived in Congress in January 2025 as one of the most credentialed first-term members in the freshman class. A Yale Law graduate who clerked for both Judge Merrick Garland on the D.C. Circuit and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, she spent years at the intersection of law, national security, and Senate oversight before running for elected office. She served as a counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and worked as a national security attorney in the private sector.
Her connection to the Biden White House — she is married to Jake Sullivan, who served as National Security Advisor from 2021 to 2025 — shaped both her campaign profile and Republican attack lines. GOP opponents sought to tie her to Biden-era policies, while Goodlander ran on her independent legal career and New Hampshire roots. She won NH-2 in November 2024 with roughly 52 percent of the vote, succeeding retiring Representative Annie Kuster in a seat that had been competitive territory.
Within months of taking her House majority, Goodlander announced a campaign for the 2026 New Hampshire Senate majority, positioning herself to succeed retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen. The move thrust her immediately into one of the most closely watched Senate races of the cycle, pitting her against well-known Republican candidates in a state with genuine swing-state characteristics.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Policy & Intelligence
Goodlander's professional background is rooted in national security law and executive oversight. She supports robust U.S. engagement with NATO allies, aid to Ukraine, and strong congressional oversight of intelligence activities. Her resume places her at the credentialed mainstream of the Democratic Party's national security wing.
Working Families & Healthcare
Goodlander campaigned on protecting the Affordable Care Act, lowering prescription drug costs, and expanding economic opportunity in New Hampshire's rural and small-town communities. She positions herself as a pragmatic Democrat focused on kitchen-table economic concerns rather than ideological battles.
Judicial & Oversight
Her background as a Breyer clerk and Judiciary Committee counsel shapes her focus on judicial independence and institutional integrity. She has been a vocal defender of independent oversight and has highlighted threats to democratic norms as a central campaign theme for the 2026 elections.
2026 NH Senate Race
The 2026 New Hampshire Senate majority is among the most competitive open-seat contests in the country. Senator Jeanne Shaheen's retirement created the first open Democratic Senate seat in New Hampshire in years. Goodlander entered the race as the early frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, drawing on her national fundraising network built through connections to the Biden national security world and her high-profile 2024 House campaign. On the Republican side, Governor Kelly Ayotte is widely seen as the likely GOP nominee, setting up a potential clash between two women with strong national profiles. New Hampshire's status as a genuine swing states — it has elected both Democratic and Republican senators in recent cycles — makes this race a true toss-up and a key factor in determining Senate control.
Electoral History
| Year | Race | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | New Hampshire House NH-2 (open, Kuster retiring) | Goodlander ~52% — Lily Tang Williams (R) ~48% | D +4 |
| 2026 | New Hampshire U.S. Senate (open, Shaheen retiring) | Announced candidate | TBD |
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New Hampshire Senate Race 2026
Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-2), elected to Congress in 2024, represents the most competitive Democratic congressional district in New Hampshire. Her 2024 victory — taking a district that had been held by Republican Bob Burns — was part of the broader Democratic wave in House suburban districts. New Hampshire's political landscape is now further shaped by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's retirement announcement, creating the most competitive Senate race in the state in years. The 2026 Senate map features New Hampshire as a genuine battleground, and Goodlander's profile — a young, Harvard-educated national security attorney with Navy JAG experience — positions her as a potential future Senate candidate. For now, her House district demands attention: NH-2 includes Concord, Nashua, and the state's southern suburbs, which trend competitive in off-cycle elections. She sits on the House Judiciary Committee and Armed Services Committee, leveraging her national security background from her Senate Judiciary Committee staff work and Justice Department experience.