Jeanne Shaheen won't run for re-election, opening another Democratic Senate seat in 2026

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., announced Wednesday that she will not seek re-election next year, kicking off a competitive race to fill her seat.

In a video, Shaheen told her constituents, "Today, I am announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election to the Senate in 2026."

"It’s just time," she said.

While she does not plan to run next year, Shaheen, 78, added that she would not be leaving her seat early. "Believe me, I am not retiring. I am determined to work every day over the next two years and beyond to continue to try to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire and this country."

GOP former Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who lost a New Hampshire Senate race against Shaheen in 2014, has reportedly been weighing another run in New Hampshire. Brown was spotted at the Capitol meeting with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, and he told Semafor that he is "thinking about" running for the Senate.

Brown wrote on X that he appreciated Shaheen's service and said, "Now it’s time for New Hampshire to have someone in the delegation who fights for our priorities and stands with, not against, the Trump agenda."

GOP former Gov. Chris Sununu told The Washington Times on Tuesday that "folks in Washington" have asked him to consider a Senate run, saying, "I have not ruled it out completely."

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who was first elected in 2018, is considering running for the Senate seat, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

First-term Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat who represents New Hampshire's other congressional district, is also considering a run for the Senate, according to a source familiar with her thinking.

Former Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster, whom Goodlander replaced in Congress, also wrote in an email that she would "take a serious look at the race" if Pappas does not run.

It's the third Democratic Senate retirement in a potentially competitive midterm race so far this election cycle.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced in January that he would not run again, opening up the race in one of the most tightly divided states in the country, which President Donald Trump carried last year.

Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota is also retiring next year, and while her state has not been as close as Michigan in recent years, there have been a number of close statewide races there in recent years, including last year, when Trump lost by just over 4 percentage points.

Republicans have a 53-47 edge in the Senate, meaning Democrats would have to net four seats to win the majority, since the GOP controls the tiebreaking vice presidency.

Former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is also retiring next year, though his seat in deep-red Kentucky is highly unlikely to be competitive.

The open seat in New Hampshire could make the state harder for Democrats to hold, longtime state Democratic strategist Jim Demers said.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

"It becomes extremely competitive and a lot more expensive than it would have been had Sen. Shaheen run for re-election,” Demers said. He said the state has a sizable share of independent voters who "can go either way."

New Hampshire's entire congressional delegation is controlled by Democrats, but the state has a history of electing members of both parties, and the presidential race was close there last year. Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by 3 percentage points.

Also in 2024, Republican Kelly Ayotte won the governorship, beating Democratic former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig by 9 percentage points. Ayotte is also the most recent Republican to represent the state in the Senate, though she lost her re-election race in 2016 to Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan.

Ayotte is the second consecutive Republican governor, as she succeeded GOP former Gov. Chris Sununu. Sununu was recruited to run for the Senate last year but declined Republican entreaties.

Republicans expressed confidence that they could flip the open Senate seat, with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott, of South Carolina, saying in a statement that the state “has a proud tradition of electing common-sense Republicans—and will do so again in 2026!”

Democrats, though, believe the state’s historical trends are on their side.

“No Republican has won a Senate race in over a decade in New Hampshire, and that trend will continue in 2026. This is exactly the kind of state where the building midterm backlash against Republicans will hit their candidates especially hard,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein.

Demers, the Democratic strategist, said Pappas is “at the top of the list” of potential Democratic candidates given his strong fundraising and his track record winning competitive House races.

Demers said the state's other Democratic House member, Maggie Goodlander, is another possible contender but noted that she was just elected to her first term in November. He also said Shaheen's daughter Stefany has considered running for office in the past and could be a possible candidate.

Bruce Breton, who was a co-chair of Trump's New Hampshire campaign, said Brown could be the "logical choice" for the GOP.

“I think Scott’s going to dominate the race as soon as he announces, if he announces,” Breton said.