Political leaders react to Shaheen not seeking reelection
After serving almost 20 years as one of New Hampshire's two U.S. senators, 78-year-old Democrat Jeanne Shaheen announced Wednesday she will not be running for a fourth term in 2026.
'From the bottom of my heart, thank you New Hampshire,' Sen. Shaheen said in a video posted to social media.
Although Shaheen always said her goal was to make a difference for people rather than make history for herself, she ended up doing both. After serving as New Hampshire's first female governor from 1997-2003 and then being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, Shaheen became the first woman in United States history to serve as both a state governor and U.S. senator, winning three terms to each role.
Some political experts say Shaheen didn't just break down barriers for women by doing that, but also made America a better place for women by championing federal bills like the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, and expanding the Violence Against Women Act.
'I think she will leave a legacy of making America, making our communities safer for women and protecting women,' said Dr. Nathan Shrader, Associate Professor of Politics at New England College in Henniker.
In a blow to Democrats, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen will not seek reelection in New Hampshire
Dr. Shrader says Shaheen also leaves a rare legacy of being a centrist, as the Common Ground Committee ranked her one of the ten most bipartisan senators in the country multiple times. Some of the more recent memories of Shaheen voting across the aisle include her joining Republicans in voting for the Laken Riley Act this year, and voting against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders' proposed $15 dollar minimum wage amendment in 2021.
'She's leaving us, leaving office rather, at a time when we need people who are out of her mold,' Dr. Shrader said. 'Some of these people that took the governing component of this extremely seriously and did it very well for a long time are being … they've been replaced, in many respects, by people who are far more partisan and less institutional than they were.'
As far as who might replace Shaheen, Dr. Shrader says many people could get in the running, but some of the early names being tossed around are current Democratic New Hampshire Congressman Chris Pappas, former Republican Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, and even former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, although he's said previously that he's uninterested in becoming a U.S. senator.
If Rep. Pappas were to run for Shaheen's spot, Dr. Shrader says that would also create a race for his U.S. House seat, and that could in turn create more races in the New Hampshire State House if current state representatives and senators were to leave their positions to try replacing Pappas.
'This is where it would get very interesting, very quickly,' Dr. Shrader said. 'There are pockets of Democratic elected officials all through the first district who might say, again, 'Hey, this is an open seat, these don't come up very often, what the heck, I'm going to shoot my shot and this might be my only opportunity.''
People around New Hampshire reacted to Shaheen's announcement throughout the day Wednesday, including her Senate colleague Maggie Hassan, who wrote in part: 'Jeanne Shaheen is a trailblazer who has defined and personified New Hampshire politics – and progress – for decades.'
Furthermore, although he hasn't officially announced his candidacy yet, former senator Scott Brown also shared a statement thanking Shaheen for her service, but adding: 'It's time for New Hampshire to have someone in the delegation who stands with, not against, the Trump agenda.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lake County GOP chair alleges Dems set up for caucus during work hours
Lake County Republican Party Chairman and county councilman Randy Niemeyer raised concerns Tuesday about Democratic employees setting up for the party's caucus during work hours and paying student election workers for training they didn't attend. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said the set-up for the caucus took place over the weekend, and that student election workers have a different training sign-in and payment process compared to other election workers. Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake, said during the council's Tuesday meeting five or six Democratic employees spent three hours setting up for the county Democratic Party caucus, which was held Saturday, March 1, at the Lake County Government Center auditorium, during work hours Friday, February 28. The county's employee handbook says 'that activity is deemed improper,' Niemeyer said, so he'd like to look into why the employees set up the caucus during work hours, what has been done to correct the action, and who paid for the workers' time. 'That is not allowed to happen on government time even if there is someone else paying for it,' Niemeyer said. 'I don't think it's ever good practice for government workers to be participating in political work during their work hours.' Lake County has a history of employees doing political work in the office, Niemeyer said, like former Lake County Surveyor George Van Til who was convicted in federal court for using county resources to run his campaign. 'We've had situations here in the past where people have faced legal consequences for those sorts of things, and I sure as heck don't want to see another black eye on Lake County.' Employees did not spend three hours setting up for the caucus during business hours. The voting machines and tables were delivered that Friday, Fajman said, but all set up was done Saturday morning. Fajman said some employees could've walked into the auditorium to see if the equipment was in the room ready to be set up the next day. Employees like to walk the government campus during their breaks, so it's possible some employees could've walked by the auditorium, she said, but no set-up was done. During the May special Crown Point and Hobart school referendum elections, Niemeyer said he was concerned about inspectors and students being paid for training, which they have to attend by law, but records indicate that some didn't receive training. 'We've got some discrepancies there in processes and systems that need to be looked into,' Niemeyer said. Fajman said that special elections are paid for by the entity holding the election, so all payments of election workers would be paid for by the school districts. Initially, the money comes out of the county's general fund, and then the schools reimburse the county for the elections. Under Indiana law, clerks and judges can complete election training online or in person, Fajman said. Inspectors have to do training in person, she said. Further, Indiana law dictates that students have to attend training, Fajman said, so they can pick in person or online. Fajman said when election workers go to training, they show their driver's license and check in on a poll pad against voter registration data. Because some students aren't old enough to vote yet, Fajman said they are checked in manually. To get paid, students on Election Day sign a pay claim and mark on the claim that they attend training. Inspectors could have a discrepancy in training attendance because there could be situations where an inspector had to back out of working the election – but remains on the record – and another inspector fills in, Fajman said. The election office has been working toward coming up with a system to better track attendance and payments, Fajman said, and hopes to launch it by the next general election. 'Right now, there's no foolproof method that we have, but we're looking into it right now,' Fajman said. Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said he supports Niemeyer raising questions about what occurred in the election office and during the special election. But there's 'agencies out there to police that,' Bilski said. Bilski said the situations should be looked into and see what the investigations find. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said since Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, was in the audience of the meeting, maybe the legislature could look into election training criteria to make it more clear who can and can't do which type of training. akukulka@


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Associated Press seeks full appeals court hearing on access to Trump administration events
The Associated Press on Tuesday asked for a hearing before the full U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, seeking to overturn a three-judge panel's ruling that allowed the Trump administration to continue blocking AP access to some presidential events — a four-month case that has raised questions about what level of journalistic access to the presidency the First Amendment permits. Three judges of that court on Friday, in a 2-1 decision, said it was OK for Trump to continue keeping AP journalists out of Oval Office or other small events out in retaliation over the news outlet's decision not to follow his lead in changing the Gulf of Mexico's name. He had sought a pause of a lower court's ruling in AP's favor in April that the administration was improperly punishing the news organization for the content of its speech. 'The decision of the appellate panel to pause the district court's order allows the White House to discriminate and retaliate over words it does not like, a violation of the First Amendment,' AP spokesman Patrick Maks said. 'We are seeking a rehearing of this decision by the full appellate court because an essential American principle is at stake.' A hearing before the full court would change the landscape — and possibly the outcome as well. The two judges who ruled in Trump's favor on Friday had been appointed to the bench by him. The full court consists of nine members appointed by Democratic presidents, and six by Republicans. The news outlet's access to events in the Oval Office and Air Force One was cut back starting in February after the AP said it would continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its copy, while noting Trump's wishes that it instead be renamed the Gulf of America. For decades, a reporter and photographer for the AP — a 179-year-old wire service whose material is sent to thousands of news outlets across the world and carried on its own website, reaching billions of people — had been part of a small-group 'pool' that covers a president in places where space is limited. ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at and


Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Cuomo, Adams battle for Orthodox Jewish support in mayor's race
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams suggested Tuesday that Orthodox Jewish support flocking to mayoral front-runner Andrew Cuomo is lighter than it seems. He may have a point. Cuomo has been racking up endorsements from influential leaders in a community long considered a potent electoral force as he leads the Democratic mayoral primary field. On Tuesday, he scored the top ranking from a major Hasidic sect in Brooklyn. But one of the former governor's most prominent backers suggested days earlier his brethren would be supporting Adams in the general election — and would do so with a similar fervor to 2024, when they came out en masse for President Donald Trump. 'In November you'll see the same thing with God's help,' Rabbi Moishe Indig, a top leader in Brooklyn's Satmar community, said during an event focused on combating antisemitism. 'We will come out to show our great support for our great mayor and brother, Eric Adams.' Indig was speaking at an event headlined by Adams and conservative television personality Dr. Phil on Sunday, the day before he publicly endorsed Cuomo. In addition to pledging fealty to the incumbent in the November general election, the Brooklyn religious and political fixture estimated 75,000 people in his community voted in the presidential race, mostly breaking for Trump. That number explains the nascent battle between Cuomo and Adams, who are both preparing for a potential general election showdown after Adams dropped out of the primary. 'We are talking about relationships of over 30 years — 30 years,' Adams, a Brooklyn borough president and state senator before becoming mayor, said of his ties to the borough's Orthodox communities during an unrelated press conference. As he spoke, he again excoriated Cuomo and accused him of overstating his support in Jewish and Black communities, both central to Adams' winning 2021 coalition. 'So let the primary run its course,' he said. 'We are going to see what's going to happen in the general.' Adams, a registered Democrat, opted out of the Democratic primary in April, recognizing he was too damaged by a federal indictment, and his related choice to cozy up to President Donald Trump, who pushed for a judge to drop the charges. As The New York Times reported Tuesday, Adams' team has been working behind the scenes to dissuade rabbis from endorsing Cuomo as the mayor publicly pursues policies sought by the community. A mayoral aide, for instance, was successful in persuading 25 Hasidic groups and institutions to endorse City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams over Cuomo in the primary, according to the Times. And another prominent Jewish leader in Brooklyn who endorsed Cuomo later clarified in a social media post that his backing was only for the primary and that he has a close relationship with the mayor. But despite animus between many religious communities and Cuomo over his Covid-era prohibitions on large gatherings, the front-runner has already landed crucial backing from some of the most important Jewish leaders in Brooklyn and Queens. And even Indig walked back his stated support for Eric Adams when asked by POLITICO, noting he hasn't made a general election endorsement yet. 'I don't know what's going to happen in November,' he added. With that in mind, Cuomo's team dismissed the mayor's assertions. 'Governor Cuomo's relationship with the Jewish community is deep, strong and stretches back decades and we're proud to have assembled one of the largest Orthodox coalitions in history in support of our campaign to get New York City back on the right track,' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. 'We're not surprised the mayor is trying to play games behind the scenes.' Jeff Colin contributed to this report.