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Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, won a Democratic primary early Wednesday morning in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District — a high-profile race that’s attracted a crowd of Democratic candidates.
Her victory tees up a critical race Democrats need in order to win control of the House of Representatives as the district’s incumbent, Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., pursues higher office.
Pappas, who has represented the district since 2019, announced a bid for the U.S. Senate last year.
Republicans are aiming to flip the seat by capturing the district for the first time in a dozen years, as they work to hold their razor-thin majority in the House.
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Shaheen, running in a crowded field of contenders, narrowly edged Maura Sullivan, a Marine veteran and an Obama-era official. Carleigh Beriont, a union organizer and progressive, finished third, according to unofficial results.
Christian Urrutia, an Army National Guard officer and international law attorney. Urrutia, another progressive candidate, ended his bid this past weekend and handed Shaheen an 11th hour endorsement.
Shaheen was also backed in the closing days ahead of the primary by former longtime Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who was succeeded by Pappas.
Incumbents often present their party’s best chance to win in competitive districts. Pappas last won re-election in a 54.0% to 45.9% victory over Republican challenger Russell Prescott, a local legislator.
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Sen. Shaheen, who announced her retirement last March, endorsed her daughter.
“I’m so proud that Stefany is answering the call to serve the district she was born and raised in, where she has started a business, worked on the Portsmouth City Council and advocated for affordable health care and clean water,” she said in a statement.
“She’s working hard to earn voters’ support in her own right and on her own merits — and I couldn’t be prouder to support her candidacy.”
The younger Shaheen emphasized priorities like Medicare for All, expanding tax breaks for first-time homebuyers, and overhauling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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Sullivan, for her own part, pitched herself as an experienced veteran. On her campaign website, she highlighted her military service in the Marines, her work with the Obama administration in 2014 as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and her leadership as a private sector health technology executive.
“I joined the Obama administration. I was proud to work on matters of national security, healthcare and reform to help fellow military families like mine,” Sullivan said in a campaign video.
Sullivan’s platform includes cracking down on what she described as price gouging, bolstering the VA, opposing Trump’s tariffs and increasing federal investments in housing development.
Shaheen will now face off in the general election against Republican businessman Anthony DiLorenzo.
DiLorenzo, an auto executive who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, topped steel executive Hollie Noveletsky, who showcased her support for Trump as she made a second straight unsuccessful bid for the GOP congressional nomination.
