Stefany Shaheen launches 2026 campaign for NH 1st District seat in US House
PORTSMOUTH — Stefany Shaheen announced she is running for New Hampshire's 1st District U.S. House seat in 2026, and her message is direct.
"Are you as outraged about what is happening in this country as I am? Donald Trump is taking a sledgehammer to medical research. Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, it's horrible" she says at the opening of the video introducing her campaign.
"For me, the motivation to get into this race is what's happening to health care in this country. It's been work of my life since my daughter Elle was diagnosed 17 years ago (with Type 1 diabetes)," Shaheen said in an interview May 28. "Watching what has happened in the last three months to National Institutes of Health funding and Medicaid and the impact on children's and veterans health care ... it's going to have a meaningful impact on people in this district."
Stefany Shaheen commentary: It's time to channel our outrage into action
Shaheen talks in her campaign video about how her young adult daughter Ellle's battle since childhood with Type 1 diabetes has turned her into "a fierce fighter for medical research and innovation to help Elle and millions like her."
Shaheen said Trump, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and congressional Republicans are threat to medical research and Medicaid.
Shaheen's 2015 book 'Elle & Coach: Diabetes, the Fight for My Daughter's Life, and the Dog Who Changed Everything,' which she wrote with Mark Dagostino, became a New York Times bestseller. She has previously considered running for higher office, including governor in 2015, but decided against it.
Shaheen, 50, a former member of the Portsmouth City Council and Police Commission, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by Rep. Chris Pappas. Pappas is running in 2026 for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Stefany's mother. Stefany Shaheen previously endorsed Pappas, stating she would campaign with him.
"I'm very proud of my mom's service," Shaheen said. "I am going to run a race focused on issues that matter to people in the district. I will focus on what experiences I can bring. I know what it's like to run a small business and worry about making payroll, and saving jobs in middle of pandemic. I'm going to work really hard to win every vote. I know the district very well. I grew up in the district and Craig (Welch, her husband) and I raised our family here."
Shaheen, who co-founded Good Measures, a small business she touted as providing "clinical and nutritional support to people living with chronic conditions" stated she is now "part of a ground-breaking biotech initiative in Manchester ... to advance biomanufacturing and develop regenerative treatments for some of the toughest health problems – from treating injured war fighters to diabetes, lung disease, and more."
Shaheen said she has heard from small business owners in the district who say Trump's tariffs are causing "constant pricing changes" that affect their customers and their sourcing of supplies.
"The key to this campaign is hearing what the challenges are for people in this district and doing what we can to address them," she said.
Asked how Democrats can change the momentum after 2024 when they lost the presidency, and with Republicans holding majorities in both chambers of Congress, Shaheen predicted Democrats will be successful nationwide in the 2026 midterm elections.
"We're going to win the House and therefore hold the majority and stop some of the terrible steps this administration is taking," she said.
Maura Sullivan previously announced she will run in the 2026 Democratic primary for the 1st District seat. Sullivan, 45, a New Castle resident, is a Marine Corps Iraq war veteran and former Obama administration official, serving in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.
Several other local elected officials have said they are considering a run for the seat in 2026.
Stefany Shaheen includes Portsmouth ties in her list of supporters in her campaign announcement, including praise for her work on the PFAS water contamination issue from Andrea Amico, the founder of Testing for Pease. Also included are Jay McSharry, a Portsmouth and Seacoast restaurant and hotel owner, Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport, and Corinne Lamond, who played for the Portsmouth High School volleyball team when Shaheen was the coach.
This story has been updated to clarify Shaheen said she will campaign with Pappas. This story may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Stefany Shaheen launches 2026 run for NH 1st District US House seat
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