Top Senate Democrat Jeanne Shaheen announced on Wednesday that she will not seek reelection in 2026, creating a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans in New Hampshire’s historically swing-state Senate race.
Shaheen, 78, previously served three terms as governor of New Hampshire until being elected to the Senate in 2008. The senator serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“It’s important for New Hampshire and the country to have a new generation of leadership,” said Shaheen.
She will have served 30 years in elected office and spent 50 years in politics by the end of her term, per the New York Times.
New Hampshire voters have shown increasing Republican leanings in recent elections. While supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race, they simultaneously elected former Senator Kelly Ayotte as governor and expanded GOP majorities in the state legislature.
Her departure sets up what will likely be one of the most competitive Senate races in 2026, in a map that experts say already favors Republicans.
Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman of the Center for Politics wrote in February, “Even if 2026 is an overall ‘blue wave’ environment, expecting Democrats to win back the Senate sets the bar too high—the seats just are not there,” writing before Shaheen’s announcement.
Several prominent Republicans were already considering running for her seat before Shaheen’s announcement. Former GOP Governor Chris Sununu said on Tuesday about a possible bid, “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,” after previously dismissing speculations of a run.
Sununu won his 2022 gubernatorial race by more than 15 points in a Democratic wave year, leading many GOP strategists to point to him as the top candidate for 2026. Governor Ayotte and former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown are also reportedly considering entering the race.
