By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-09 16:39:55 | Updated at 2026-09-09 17:39:07
59 minutes ago
Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), won the Democratic nomination in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, narrowly beating a rival who spent the closing weeks of the race arguing that the Shaheen name was the reason she was ahead.
The Associated Press called the race at 12:35 a.m. on Wednesday. With 93 percent of the vote counted, Shaheen led Maura Sullivan 37.3 percent to 35.1 percent. Carleigh Beriont was in third with 21.8 percent.
Shaheen addressed supporters in Portsmouth before the race was called, when only about 1,000 votes separated her from Sullivan.
“This race has always, from day one, been about tackling the challenges that matter most to New Hampshire families,” she said. “It has meant the need and the focus to tackle and take on [President] Donald Trump and his disastrous corruption, his endless war, attacking small business with these disastrous tariffs, the skyrocketing costs families are facing in New Hampshire and across the country. But let’s just be clear: it’s not enough to stop Trump’s damage. We have to do better than that.”
Shaheen, a former Portsmouth city councilor, founded a company that provides nutritional and clinical support to people with chronic conditions after one of her daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her mother has held office in New Hampshire since the 1990s and was the first woman in the country to serve as both a governor and a senator. Her father, Bill Shaheen, is a former Democratic National Committee member.
Sullivan is a retired Marine and Iraq War veteran who served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Barack Obama. She is a vice chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and ran for the same seat in 2018, finishing second in an 11-candidate primary to Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.).
The seat is open because Pappas gave it up to run for the Senate. He won the Democratic Senate nomination on Tuesday and will face former Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) in November for the seat the elder Shaheen is vacating. Sen. Shaheen announced in March 2025 that she would not seek a fourth term.
Sullivan built the final stretch of her campaign around the argument that Shaheen was trading on her family name.
Sullivan conceded in a statement posted to her account on the social platform X, where she congratulated Shaheen on winning the Democratic nomination, adding, “She is a dedicated Granite Stater, and I’m proud to offer her my full support over these next 55 days.”
“There’s a lot of work to do between now and Election Day, and I will be working to make sure we elect Democrats up and down the ballot so we can stand up to Trump, root out corruption, and finally build an economy that works for the working people of New Hampshire,” she wrote.
Beriont, a Hampton Select Board member, union organizer, and Harvard University lecturer, ran to the left of both and outperformed every public poll of the race. The field narrowed in her and Shaheen’s favor in the final weeks: State Rep. Heath Howard dropped out last month and endorsed Beriont, and Christian Urrutia, a veteran and human rights attorney, dropped out over the weekend and endorsed Shaheen.
Shaheen thanked Urrutia by name from the stage, saying he “had the courage to make a hard decision” and had worked for her campaign in its final days.
DNC Chair Ken Martin congratulated Shaheen in a statement.
“As a small business owner, entrepreneur, and healthcare advocate, Stefany Shaheen has spent her career fighting on behalf of Granite Staters,” Martin said. “In Congress, she will work tirelessly to lower costs, protect healthcare, support small businesses, make housing more affordable, and create a New Hampshire that works for everyone. The DNC is ready to work alongside Stefany to ensure Granite Staters have a fighter in Washington who’s always on their side.”
Shaheen will face Anthony DiLorenzo, a Portsmouth car dealership owner who won a five-candidate Republican primary. President Donald Trump endorsed him ahead of the vote.
DiLorenzo, who has spent 35 years building an auto business, told supporters he was running on his record in the private sector.
“My opponents talk about what they are going to do. I want to talk about what I’ve done: building businesses, creating jobs, and giving back to my community—something I’ve done for over 35 years,” DiLorenzo said.
He said the race would turn on which candidate is best equipped to represent the state.
The real question is who is best to lead our state in Congress, DiLorenzo said, adding that “We’ve created over 1,000 jobs, made a lot of people’s lives better, and I believe that Washington, D.C., needs more pragmatic business people representing.”
DiLorenzo also said his opponents were advocating for open borders and for eliminating immigration enforcement.
The 1st District covers Manchester, the Seacoast, and the Lakes Region. Pappas has held it since 2019, and Republicans have named it a target this cycle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
