Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, not running for Senate reelection in 2026

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, announced Wednesday that she will not be running for reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2026. 

“Today, after careful consideration, I am announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek reelection to the Senate in 2026,” Shaheen said in a social media video. “It’s just time.”

Shaheen, a 78-year-old Democrat, was first elected to the Senate in 2006. She previously served as the first woman to be elected governor of New Hampshire. In the Senate, Shaheen serves as the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. 

In an interview with The New York Times, Shaheen said her decision was “made more difficult by the current environment in the country – by President Trump and what he’s doing right now.”

Third Senate Democrat not to run in 2026

Shaheen is the third Senate Democrat to opt out of running in 2026. 

Sen. Gary Peters, of Michigan, and Sen. Tina Smith, of Minnesota, have also said they won’t run for reelection. 

New Hampshire Senate election 2026

Who could replace Shaheen in the Senate? Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, told The Washington Times on Tuesday that D.C. Republicans are asking him to run and he has “not ruled it out completely.” Sununu previously passed on challenging Sen. Maggie Hassan in 2022 in order to run for a fourth term as governor. 

Former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who unsuccessfully challenged Shaheen in the 2014 New Hampshire Senate race, reacted to the news Wednesday, saying he appreciated her service to the state.

“Now it’s time for New Hampshire to have someone in the delegation who fights for our priorities and stands with, not against, the Trump agenda,” Brown posted to X.