Wife of top ex-Biden advisor easily advances to House showdown in November

Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a first-term Democrat from New Hampshire, secured her party’s nomination Tuesday in a primary challenge from the left, setting up a general election contest in a district that has been a Democratic stronghold for over a decade.

Goodlander, who represents the state’s Second Congressional District—a vast, rural area stretching from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian frontier—defeated challenger Paige Beauchemin, a state representative from Hillsborough County. Beauchemin campaigned as a progressive alternative, arguing that Goodlander had not been sufficiently bold or effective during her initial term in office.

The victory paves the way for Goodlander to face the winner of a four-way Republican primary, Lily Tang Williams, in November. An independent candidate is also expected to run. The district, which includes the northern city of Pittsburg, has been in Democratic hands since 2013 and leans toward the party in federal elections.

Goodlander’s tenure in Congress has been shadowed by the high-profile role of her husband, Jacob Sullivan, who served as the national security adviser to President Biden. Sullivan was a central figure in the administration’s handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, its response to the war in Ukraine, and the management of U.S.-China relations—issues that could become focal points in the campaign.

The political landscape in New Hampshire is undergoing significant change. With Rep. Chris Pappas leaving his own House seat to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, both of the state’s House districts will feature new faces in January, regardless of the election outcome. Goodlander’s primary win ensures she will be the Democratic standard-bearer in the more rural of the two districts, a seat she first won in 2024 to succeed retiring Rep. Ann Kuster.