Former Biden administration official plans to jump into New Hampshire House race
Democrat Maggie Goodlander, a former official in the Biden White House and Justice Department, is on the verge of launching a primary campaign in New Hampshire.
Democrat Maggie Goodlander, a former senior official in the Biden White House and the Justice Department, is on the verge of launching a primary campaign against the hand-picked would-be successor to Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., according to three sources familiar with her planning.
The move, which could come as early as this week, promises to bring national and international politics to the heart of a House race in New Hampshire when President Joe Biden is trying to keep the state's four electoral votes in his column.
Scott Merrick, an adviser to Goodlander, declined to confirm or deny that she will run — but he said a decision is coming soon. Kuster announced this year that she was retiring.
“Maggie is thankful for the encouragement she’s received from Granite Staters and will be making a decision in the coming days,” Merrick said.
Goodlander, who worked on domestic issues in the federal government — on antitrust at the Justice Department and on Biden's "unity agenda" at the White House — was a Navy intelligence officer and an aide to two senators known for their focus on foreign policy. But she also has a connection to the current policy debate over the Biden administration's positioning on hot-button issues such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza through her marriage to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who gives Biden counsel on those matters.
Rating: 5