Stefany Shaheen, the eldest daughter of retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen, launched her campaign Wednesday for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, setting up a contested Democratic primary ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Shaheen, 51, a business leader and former Portsmouth City Council member, said in a campaign launch video that she is outraged by President Trump and his allies moving to slash federal funding for medical research and health insurance. She recounted the story of helping her daughter manage her Type 1 diabetes.
“There’s no one who fights harder than a mom for her kids,” she said, “and that’s how I’ll fight for your family, too.”
Shaheen co-founded Good Measures, a business that supports people with chronic conditions. She’s also chief strategy officer for Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), which is working to make Manchester a hub for biomanufacturing.
Shaheen is up against Maura Sullivan, 45, a military veteran and former Obama administration official, who launched a congressional campaign in April after four-term Democratic incumbent Representative Chris Pappas, 44, announced he will run for Senate in 2026 rather than seek re-election to the House.
Pappas went public with his decision after Senator Shaheen, 78, announced her retirement. His candidacy has been endorsed by both Shaheens.
With the state primary still more than 15 months away, it’s not yet clear which Republicans will enter these races.
New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, which has historically flipped back and forth between the parties in recent decades, is viewed as one of New England’s few battleground districts. Democrats are also eager to hang onto both the Senate seat, which Shaheen has held since 2009.
Stefany Shaheen has notable ties to the Democratic establishment, not only via her mother but also her father, William H. Shaheen, who has served as a leader in the Democratic Party.
What’s more, when she released a book in August 2015 about her daughter’s health struggles, Stefany Shaheen included a prominent blurb from then-presidential-candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. And when President Biden visited New Hampshire in March 2024, she joined her father in greeting him on the tarmac in Manchester.
Maureen O’Toole, a regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, released a statement Wednesday slamming the newly announced candidate as a beneficiary of nepotism who will align with her party.
“Nepo baby Stefany Shaheen is a DC elitist who is committed to the Democrats’ radical agenda that makes life more expensive and less safe,” O’Toole said. “Granite Staters will resoundingly reject her and her out of touch policies.”
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
