Stefany Shaheen, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D) daughter, and Maura Sullivan were the leading candidates among seven seeking the Democratic nomination in the 1st District.
Shaheen is a former city councilor in Portsmouth. She founded a business to help people with chronic medical conditions after one of her daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She also is part of a bio-tech initiative in New Hampshire to advance regenerative medicine.
Speaking to her supporters Tuesday night before the race was called, Shaheen said she was campaigning to “take on Donald Trump and his disastrous corruption, his endless war, his attacks on small business with these disastrous tariffs, the skyrocketing costs families are facing in New Hampshire and across the country.” But she also said running against the president wouldn’t be enough, that she would give voters a reason to turn out for the general election.
“We can bring the real change that’s needed, starting with healthcare, starting with Medicare for all,” she said.
Sullivan is a retired Marine and Iraq War veteran who served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Barack Obama. A vice chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Sullivan ran for the 1st District seat in 2018, losing in an 11-candidate primary to Pappas in his first congressional bid.
Her campaign did not immediately return a call and email seeking a response after Shaheen won. Earlier in the night, Sullivan addressed her supporters and thanked them for their hard work during the campaign.
“What we are doing right now is send such an incredible message for change, and that politics as usual is not, is not going to get us where we need to go,” she said.
On the Republican side, political newcomer DiLorenzo, who owns a chain of car dealerships and has been endorsed by Trump, won the Republican primary. He defeated three other candidates, including Hollie Noveletsky, a veteran and nurse practitioner who runs a steel fabrication company and ran for the same seat two years ago.
“Our campaign is about prosperity,” DiLorenzo told supporters. “I believe that Washington, D.C., needs more pragmatic businesspeople.”
In the 2nd District, first-term incumbent Goodlander overcame a primary challenge from Paige Beauchemin, a progressive state lawmaker and nurse. Tang Williams, who was the nominee two years ago and was making her third attempt at the seat, won the Republican primary.