Elizabeth Girard, whose time as head of the New Hampshire Federation of Women (NHFRW) was plagued by controversy, has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to become a candidate in the 1st Congressional District primary.
The documentation was filed with the FEC on Wednesday and is the first formal step to becoming a candidate for Congress.
Girard, a Marblehead, Mass., native, has been a feature of New Hampshire GOP politics since her days at the University of New Hampshire (Class of 2016). During the 2016 presidential primary, she was asked to participate in an ABC News roundtable of Republican women hosted by Cokie Roberts.
Since then, she’s served as president of the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, then a state co-chair for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. She also ran for Republican National Committeewoman, losing to Mary Jane Beauregard.
Girard confirmed the filing to NHJournal late Wednesday.
If she does enter the race, she’ll face a GOP field that already has three candidates and is likely still growing:
- Bedford GOP Committee vice chair Melissa Bailey
- Businessman and veteran Chris Bright
- Manchester Rep. Brian Cole
On Monday, businesswoman and veteran Hollie Noveletsky, who ran unsuccessfully for the NH-01 nomination in 2024, sent a letter to Republicans announcing she is “seriously exploring the opportunity” of running in 2026.
“As I evaluate this opportunity, I believe it is prudent for me to step aside as vice-chair,” Noveletsky added.
Other Republicans are considering entering the race as well. The winner will face off with the Democrat who comes out on top in that party’s crowded primary.
Girard’s term as NHFRW was roiled by controversy. She broke the organization’s longstanding rule of not picking sides in a GOP primary by endorsing Trump from onstage at a campaign rally.
After endorsing Trump, Girard promptly resigned as president of the NHFRW, signed on as co-chair of the Trump 2024 campaign, and jumped into the committeewoman race.
News of Girard’s filing quickly spread Wednesday night, inspiring a flurry of reaction from party activists — most of it negative.
“Someone with no discernible skills or professional background who loves being the center of attention? She’ll be right at home in Washington, D.C.,” one GOP insider told NHJournal. “Certainly more of a home than she has here in New Hampshire.”
Matt Mayberry, a former state GOP official and congressional candidate, posted an image of Girard’s filing on social media, along with a message:
“This will be the ultimate in vanity campaigns. Never held a real job. Uses everyone she encounters and is just generally an awful person. Drove a GOP group into the ground financially and just lies for her own self-aggrandizement. The stories that will come out during this campaign will be monumentality embarrassing. I know who I will NEVER vote for, ever.”
