The three-term senator’s decision not to run in 2026 opens the door for a competitive race that figures to attract national attention.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire made a bombshell announcement in a social media video Wednesday.
"After careful consideration, I'm announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek reelection to the Senate in 2026," the Democratic senator said. "It's just time."
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It's been a pivotal career that's helped shape New Hampshire political history. She was the first woman elected governor in the state in 1996, and she has served three terms in the Senate since being elected in 2008.
"She really marked the transition of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire from perennial underdog to competitive," said Dante Scala, a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire. "In fact, right now, the entire congressional delegation is Democratic."
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Her surprise announcement is shaking up national politics.
"All of a sudden, we're thrust into this big game of who's going to run for the U.S. Senate," said Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College. "Who's going to run for Congress if someone vacates a congressional seat to run for the Senate?"
Levesque expects to see enormous amounts of money flowing into the Granite State.
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"Nationally, things like the White House are going to be focused on 'Can we raise a lot of money and send it to New Hampshire and take a Senate seat away from the Democrats?'" he said. "And nationally, of course, Democrats are going to want to hold this."
Shaheen has been a key vote for Democrats representing a purple state.
Now, the door's wide open for a Republican to try to win the seat.
Some names already being talked about include former Gov. Chris Sununu and former Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts — who ran for the seat in 2014, losing to the incumbent Shaheen.
"This could be Chris Sununu's best opportunity to run for the U.S. Senate, fresh off of four successful terms as governor," said Scala.
On the Democratic side, Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander — both of New Hampshire's U.S. House members — are also said to be mulling a run, and former Rep. Annie Kuster told Politico she'd consider running if Pappas doesn't.
"Donors and activists and other people go and get into people's camps, and it's hard to get them out of a camp, so you don't want to get in the game too late," said Levesque.
