Stefany Shaheen, a former Portsmouth city councilor and daughter of retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), told WMUR Monday she may jump into the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary.
“I’ve heard from people across the state,” the younger Shaheen said. “I’m taking a careful look at the 1st Congressional seat.”
She made the comments during an interview at her home, where she also endorsed U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas’ bid to replace her mother in the Senate. Pappas currently holds the 1st District seat.
“The first thing I’m excited to announce is I’m supporting and endorsing Chris Pappas and his candidacy for the U.S. Senate,” Shaheen told WMUR. “I’ve been with Chris. He’s a dear friend. I was there with him when he launched his campaign for the U.S. House. I know that he knows what it takes to get the job done.”
As for her future, Shaheen said she’s “been thinking a lot about what more can I do?
“I think my experience as a small business owner — I started and built a small business — I know what it feels like to be worried about how you’re going to make payroll. As a parent of a child with type one (diabetes), I know what it feels like to be fighting the insurance company to get her the medication she needs. And I think these experiences are experiences people across New Hampshire can relate to and have had themselves,” Shaheen said.
Elected to the Portsmouth City Council in November 2014, where she served for two years, Shaheen is also the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Good Measures, a Boston-based company that develops online tools and services to help people better manage their health.
In 2023, she was appointed by President Joe Biden to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
It’s not the first time Shaheen, 50, has seriously considered running for higher office. In 2016, she came very close to running for governor. Colin Van Ostern won that Democratic primary, then went on to lose to then-Executive Councilor Chris Sununu.
If she does decide to run, she’ll have to face Maura Sullivan in a Democratic primary. Sullivan, who announced her candidacy last week, did not respond to requests for comment about Shaheen’s announcement.
Republicans and Democrats told NHJournal the younger Shaheen would be a strong candidate, and that she has fans on both sides of the aisle.
The word Republicans used to describe Shaheen as a candidate: “Formidable.”
“Stefany Shaheen will be a formidable candidate if she decides to run. Her family’s legacy of public service, combined with her own likability and reputation for political moderation, creates a compelling electoral advantage,” said GOP consultant Patrick Hynes.
Longtime New Hampshire politico Tom Rath agreed.
“She would be formidable, and that’s putting it mildly.”
“Shaheen would be the favorite in the field. She is smart, poised, and would be strongly financed. Her biggest asset in the primary, her name, might be a negative in the general, but I doubt that.”
It’s an issue that hangs over Shaheen’s possible candidacy. When she was considering a run for governor in 2016, Neil Levesque of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics said, “Stefany has the name recognition, but she’ll need to prove she’s more than a legacy candidate.”
WMUR’s Adam Sexton asked her about the “legacy” issue.
“That’s a fair question. I’m incredibly proud of my mom. I’m proud of the work she’s done on behalf of New Hampshire over the years she served,” Shaheen said. “My experiences are different, and I’ll bring those experiences.”
A veteran New Hampshire Democrat insider told NHJournal on background that the race is Stefany Shaheen’s to lose.
“If she gets in, she’ll win. Won’t even be close.”
As for being the daughter of the outgoing senator, it’s a plus. “Never bet against the Shaheens,” the Democrat said.
