gotchanewsdaily.com 
CNN
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Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire announced Wednesday that she will not seek reelection in 2026, setting up a potentially competitive race in the Granite State to replace her.
“I ran for public office to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire. That purpose has never and will never change. But today, after careful consideration, I’m announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek reelection to the Senate in 2026. It’s just time,” she said in a video released by her congressional office.
Shaheen, 78, has served in the US Senate since 2009, winning reelection to a second and third term in 2014 and 2020. She’s currently the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
New Hampshire Democrats have been privately encouraging her to run for a fourth term, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, but Shaheen had kept decision tight-lipped.
Before joining the Senate, she served three terms as New Hampshire governor, becoming the first woman elected as the state’s top executive in 1996.
In her video, Shaheen said that despite not seeking reelection, “believe me, I am not retiring” — making clear she plans to serve out the remainder of her term, which ends 2027.
Shaheen’s exit from Congress leaves vulnerable a key Senate seat for Democrats, and it has already drawn interest from New Hampshire politicos.
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican who left office with high approval numbers, did not rule out a run for Senate in a recent interview with The Washington Times.
Democratic US Rep. Chris Pappas, whose district includes Manchester, is strongly considering a run in 2026 for the open seat, according to a person familiar with his thinking.
Former US Democratic Rep. Ann Kuster, who recently stepped away from Congress, told CNN that she will “take a serious look” at running if Pappas ultimately bows out.
Former Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is also considering throwing his hat into the race for the coveted New Hampshire seat, telling CNN Tuesday ahead of Shaheen’s announcement that he’s “still thinking about it.” Brown, an ambassador during Trump’s first administration, had challenged Shaheen for her seat in 2014 and narrowly lost by roughly three percentage points.
Following the announcement, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein projected confidence in the party’s ability to retain the seat.
“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,” he said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Manu Raju and David Wright contributed to this report.
