A familiar political name is poised to extend its influence in New Hampshire.
Stefany Shaheen, daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, narrowly defeated veteran Maura Sullivan in a hard-fought Democratic primary Tuesday, outperforming limited polling that had suggested she was trailing in the competitive race.
Shaheen and Sullivan were competing for the chance to succeed Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), who launched a Senate bid for the seat being vacated by Shaheen’s mother.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has long been one of the state’s most recognizable political figures, serving as New Hampshire governor from 1997 to 2003 before winning election to the Senate in 2008 and taking office in 2009.
The 79-year-old senator played an active role in the race, courting donors and working to boost her daughter’s campaign in the closely watched contest for New Hampshire’s open 1st Congressional District seat.
That support network appeared to matter: Politico reported that $740,000, representing 39% of all donations to Stefany Shaheen’s campaign, came from contributors who had previously donated to her mother.
Stefany Shaheen argued throughout the campaign that her own record qualified her for Congress, pointing to her service on the Portsmouth City Council and the Portsmouth Police Commission.
She also worked to position herself as the most progressive contender among the leading candidates, at one point publicly breaking with her mother over the senator’s support for a deal to end last year’s government shutdown.
But Sullivan’s allies crafted an ad bashing her “fancy last name.” During the final stretch of the primary, former Democratic contender Christian Urrutia and former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter both endorsed the Shaheen scion in a key last-minute boost.
Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich endorsed primary foe Carleigh Beriont during the final stretch as well. Beriont had generally polled significantly behind both Shaheen and Sullivan, though she appeared to get some momentum towards the end.
Sullivan, a former vice chair of the New Hampshire state Democratic Party, had worked to rally support from the party’s base, including in the Manchester area.
The New Hampshire primary has been the latest test of dynastic power this election cycle, following the victory of Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) in her primary last month, the defeat of Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg in a primary, Sen. Angus King’s (I-Maine) son losing a gubernatorial primary, and more.
