Lily Tang Williams, the proudly pro-America, anti-China Republican activist whose 2024 campaign for Congress garnered national attention, is back for another round.
But with incumbent U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D) considering a run for the U.S. Senate, who will the eventual GOP nominee be running against?
The filing period in the 2nd Congressional District race doesn’t open for another 14 months, but the Weare Republican announced Wednesday she’s running again. The question of who she will be running against, both in the GOP primary and the general election, is still open.
“I am living the American Dream,” Tang Williams said in a statement. “I have experienced firsthand the transformative power of freedom, opportunity, and hard work, which is why I am the ideal representative for the people of the Second District.”
Reached by phone Wednesday night, Tang Williams told NHJournal she believes 2026, when the state’s voter ID law goes into effect for the midterm election, will be her year.
“I learned how to campaign better, and I learned that digital is the key to raising enough money to compete,” Tang Williams said. “We did not have enough time (in 2024), we did not have the money, and we did not have the ads.
“And nobody knew then who she (Goodlander) truly is, or who I am, and now they do.”
Tang Williams’ biography is a central part of her campaign. Born in China’s Sichuan province, she suffered hunger and oppression before eventually making it to America while in her 20s. As a result, she advocates for individual liberty, small government, and American patriotism.
During the NHJournal GOP primary debate last year, the candidates were asked if they could be a superhero, who would it be.
Her answer: “George Washington!”
This will be Tang Williams’ third race in the 2nd District. She first ran for the seat in 2022, only to come up short in the Republican primary. Two years later, she won the primary and faced off against New Hampshire newcomer Maggie Goodlander.
Goodlander grew up in the district but hadn’t lived in it since the George W. Bush administration. In fact, she still doesn’t live in the district, but rather in her homes in Portsmouth and the Washington, D.C., area.
(Asked by a reporter about moving into the district just months before the primary, Goodlander retorted, “I am a renter, and there should be more renters in Congress.”)
Goodlander grew up in a wealthy Nashua family and attended Groton, the elite Massachusetts boarding school. She went on to serve in the Biden administration, as did her husband, Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The first-time candidate’s D.C. connections helped her crush longtime Granite State Democrat Colin Van Ostern in the primary, and she raised more than $4.3 million for her campaign.
Tang Williams raised less than $900,000, but she generated national interest in her campaign thanks to a debate moment that went viral.
In the debate hosted by WMUR on Halloween night, Goodlander accused Tang Williams of being someone who “believes we should give a break to the wealthiest and biggest corporations and hope for the best.”
Tang Williams turned the tables on Goodlander.
“You are wealthy. You’re worth between $30-50 million. You pretend to be a renter in Nashua. I don’t have money to run a TV ad, and you pretend you are poor and the rent is so high. Just go back to your $2 million home in Portsmouth,” Tang Williams told her.
“You do not understand regular peoples’ concerns.”
Goodlander went on to win the general election, 53-47 percent, hardly a surprise in a district that hasn’t sent a Republican to Congress since 2010.
Several GOP insiders told NHJournal there is a strong chance Tang Williams’ inspiring underdog performance in 2024 will be a major factor in boosting her candidacy in 2026, particularly in the primary.
Tang Williams said she’s already formed a digital fundraising team. Largely thanks to her last campaign, she now has more than 250,000 followers on Twitter/X.
Tang Williams added that she intends to put her 2024 experience to use and will demand more debates against Goodlander.
“And I’m calling her out right now,” she said. “Maggie better not hide, because we’re not going to have just one debate on a Halloween night like last time.
“That’s just not fair, you know, to my race, and for the people who are going to decide who will be the best person to represent them, that’s it. I will be calling her out each and every week. This time she cannot hide because now I have a big mic in front of me.”
But will Goodlander be the 2nd District Democrat nominee?
Goodlander has expressed an interest in running for the U.S. Senate, and Rep. Chris Pappas’ decision to jump in that race hasn’t pushed her out.
Asked by WMUR’s Adam Sexton if she will enter the race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Goodlander declined to give a definitive answer.
Tang Williams shared a clip of that interview on social media.
“Well, that did not take long for my former opponent @MaggieG603 to think about running for U.S. Senate, after less than 2 months on her job,” Tang Williams posted. “She has been groomed for the past 15 years in the swamp by her husband Jake Sullivan & Clinton/Obama/Biden deep state.”
In her announcement Wednesday, Tang Williams said she wants to “usher in a new renaissance for the country I love — and to serve with integrity, honesty, and transparency.
“It would be the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of New Hampshire’s 2nd District, who have welcomed me with open arms.”
The Cook Political Report lists the 2nd District in 2026 as “likely Democrat.”
