Democrat Maggie Goodlander, a former Justice Department (DOJ) official in the Biden administration, announced a bid for Congress on Thursday.
“I’m thrilled to announce that I’m running for Congress in New Hampshire’s 2nd District,” she said in her campaign announcement. “I’ve served in all three branches of government and I know how to deliver for New Hampshire. I’ll be a workhorse for the people of the Second District and will never stop fighting for a freer and more just Granite State.”
Goodlander, who is married to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, served in the DOJ as deputy assistant attorney general overseeing work in the antitrust division until September 2022. Among other roles, she is also a former senior adviser to former Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), notably serving across party lines.
The former Biden administration official is vying to replace Rep. Annie Kuster (D), who announced earlier this year that she would retire at the end of the term, leaving open one of New Hampshire’s two House seats.
Kuster, though, has already endorsed former state Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern as her successor. Goodlander’s entry into the race sets up a primary battle.
Both of New Hampshire’s senators and both of its House lawmakers are currently Democrats.
President Biden didn’t appear on the Granite State’s Democratic primary ballot earlier this year after squabbles over the party’s nominating calendar, but he nevertheless won the contest as a write-in candidate.
Biden also boasts a 4-point lead over former President Trump in a hypothetical general election in the state, according to polling averages from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.