Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) won’t run for the open New Hampshire Senate seat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is vacating at the end of her term and is instead endorsing Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.).
“We are in the fight of our lifetimes right now,” Goodlander told WMUR on Thursday.
“I feel humbled and grateful to so many people across our state who have encouraged me to take a look at the United States Senate, and after a lot of thought and conversations … I’ve decided that I’m running for reelection in the House of Representatives.”
Goodlander’s decision to pass on the race puts Pappas on a glidepath to the Democratic nomination. And with the state’s popular former Gov. Chris Sununu opting out of his own bid on the Republican side, Democrats’ odds of holding the seat — or at least avoiding a messy primary — appeared to many observers to have improved.
In a post on X on Thursday, Pappas said he was “so grateful” to call Goodlander “my friend and teammate,” and pledged to support her in her own reelection.
No Republican has officially announced plans to run for the seat. But former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who was narrowly defeated by Sen. Maggie Hasan in New Hampshire’s 2014 Senate contest, has heavily hinted that he may run again in 2026.
A spokesperson for Brown didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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