New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen announced on Wednesday (March 12) that she will not seek re-election, becoming the third Democratic senator to retire before the 2026 midterm elections.
Shaheen, 78 years old this year, was first elected as a senator in 2008. She described her decision to step aside as “difficult,” saying “the time has come.” In a video statement, she said, “We are facing urgent challenges both domestically and around the world. While I am not seeking re-election, please believe me, I am not retiring.”
New Hampshire will be a crucial battleground for both parties in the fight to control the Senate.
After serving two terms in the New Hampshire Senate, Shaheen was elected as the state’s governor in 1996, and was re-elected in 1998 and 2000. She ran for the federal Senate in 2002 but was unsuccessful, finally winning the federal Senate seat in 2008.