A former Biden administration official and the wife of the president’s national security adviser is running for Congress in a key northeastern battleground state where she was born and raised.
Maggie Goodlander, wife of national security adviser Jake Sullivan, former top lawyer in the Biden administration and assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, is the Democratic candidate for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District. He is likely to announce his candidacy for the vacant seat. A source confirmed to Fox News.
The announcement, which could come as early as this week, adds to the already high-profile debate over who will succeed Annie Kuster, a longtime Democratic congresswoman in a heavily blue but battleground district in a key general election battleground state. The high-stakes election campaign will become even more exciting.
Mr. Goodlander joins a rapidly growing number of candidates seeking to succeed Mr. Kuster, who announced in late March that he would retire from Congress rather than seek re-election.
Shocking: Long-time Democratic lawmaker in battleground state announces retirement
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maggie Goodlander at the Department of Justice on Monday, March 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“McGee is grateful for the encouragement she has received from the people of the Granite State and plans to make a decision in the coming days,” Scott Merrick, a Democratic operative and veteran of multiple Democratic campaigns in New Hampshire, told FOX. told the news.
If Goodlander runs as expected, he could face a lot of scrutiny at home and abroad over the Biden administration’s policies, including its ties to the Republican Party and residency issues. Mr. Goodlander’s legislative work is also likely to draw national attention to his New Hampshire race and likely attract high-profile endorsements.
Goodland married Sullivan, who served as a foreign policy adviser to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, about nine years ago. The couple’s wedding, attended by prominent politicians including Clinton, current Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, was a snapshot of the couple’s long history in Democratic politics.
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After serving as Klobuchar’s chief adviser, Sullivan served as an adviser to Clinton in her 2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign, and later served as an adviser to former President Barack Obama in his presidential campaign.
He served as Mr. Clinton’s chief of staff while he was secretary of state in the Obama administration. After Clinton left the administration, Sullivan became then-Vice President Joe Biden’s top national security aide.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a press conference at the White House on Monday, March 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Mr. Sullivan later served as a top adviser to Mr. Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Four years later, he was one of Biden’s first appointments after the 2020 presidential election.
Ms. Goodlander comes from a prominent New Hampshire family, although she is not as well known nationally as her famous husband.
Goodlanders could face increased scrutiny over residency rights
Her grandfather, Sam Tamposi, was a major figure in state Republican politics. Additionally, her mother, Betty Tamposi, ran for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District in 1988, but lost in the Republican primary.
In some ways, Ms. Goodlander’s story mirrors that of Kuster, a woman trying to make it in Congress. Kuster’s girlfriend’s parents were prominent Republicans in New Hampshire, but she ran as a Democrat.
New Hampshire Democratic Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) marches in the Fourth of July parade in Amherst, New Hampshire on July 4, 2022. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Mr. Goodlander is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School, served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and was an advisor to the late Sens. Joe Lieberman and John McCain on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. served as
She also served as Attorney General Merrick Garland’s law clerk during his tenure as Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
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Mr. Goodlander served as Mr. Kuster’s campaign manager in 2010 and later served two terms as New Hampshire’s executive councilor before winning the 2016 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, including Colin Van Ostern. He will participate in the Democratic primary.
Van Ostern announced his candidacy the day after Kuster announced his retirement and was endorsed by the incumbent several weeks later.
Van Ostern has received significant support from Granite State University, but Goodlander’s entry into the race could change things.
“So, here’s a member of this caliber at 37 years old, with pretty impeccable roots in the district, with a vast national network and a proven bipartisan track record, who hasn’t yet been elected. That’s pretty rare. That would be really rare,” said a veteran New Hampshire Democratic operative who requested anonymity in order to speak more freely. told Fox News.
State Sen. Becky Whitley, a progressive Democrat, is also running to replace Kuster.
Several Republicans are running, including 2022 Senate candidate Vikram Mansharamani and Lily Tan Williams, who is seeking the congressional nomination for the second year in a row.
Although Goodlander and Sullivan spend much of their time in the nation’s capital due to their jobs, they own a home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The coastal port city of New Hampshire is located in the state’s 1st Congressional District, but geography would not preclude Goodlander from running in the 2nd District. The U.S. Constitution only requires candidates to reside in the state in which they are running, not in a specific congressional district.
The most recent high-profile example of a Democratic congressional candidate in New Hampshire campaigning in a district other than his home was six years ago when Levi Sanders, the son of Sen. Bernie Sanders, campaigned in New York state. This happened when he ran for office in the 1st constituency even though he lived in the city. Second District.
Goodland grew up in the 2nd District, but the last time he voted there was in the 2008 presidential primary and by absentee ballot in the general election, according to records reviewed by Fox News Digital. was.
Goodlander was registered in New Hampshire’s 1st District in 2016.
Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
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