Maggie Goodlander, a former Justice Department official and political newcomer, won the Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District on Tuesday after a close race against Colin Van Ostern, according to The Associated Press.
Ms. Goodlander, who grew up in Nashua, N.H., but spent most of her adult life elsewhere, is married to Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser.
She had won about 62 percent of the vote as of 8:45 p.m., edging out Mr. Van Ostern, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2016 and spent several years on the New Hampshire Executive Council.
The contest became unexpectedly nasty when Mr. Van Ostern, 45, a California native, accused Ms. Goodlander, 37, of exaggerating her ties to the state and questioned her support for abortion rights.
Ms. Goodlander has spoken openly of her own struggle to find timely reproductive health care when her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition and died in her womb.
The Democratic tilt in the district, which stretches from the state’s southern border to its northernmost tip, and includes New Hampshire’s capital, Concord, gives Ms. Goodlander an advantage heading into the general election in November.
The seat is being vacated by Representative Annie Kuster, a Democrat who is retiring; she endorsed Mr. Van Ostern, her one-time campaign manager.
More than a dozen candidates vied for the Republican nomination; Lily Tang Wiliams came out on top, according to The Associated Press, and will face Ms. Goodlander in November.
Ms. Goodlander had been depicted by detractors, including Ms. Kuster, as a well-connected Washington insider who described herself as “a renter” despite owning a $1.2 million home in Portsmouth, N.H., with her husband.
Her mother, Betty Tamposi, served as a Republican in the State House of Representatives and ran for Congress in the same district that gave her daughter the nod on Tuesday.
According to The Associated Press, Maggie Goodlander, a former Justice Department official and political novice, defeated Colin Van Ostern in a close contest to win the Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District on Tuesday.
Miss. The Goodlander, who was raised in Nashua, N. H. is married to Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, despite having lived abroad for the majority of her adult life. As of 8:45 p.m., she had roughly 62% of the vote. M. surpassing Mr. Van Ostern, who served on the New Hampshire Executive Council for a number of years before attempting an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2016.
Unexpectedly, the contest turned ugly when Ms. Goodlander, 37, was accused of inflating her connections to California and her support for abortion rights by Mr. Van Ostern, 45, a native of the state. Several prominent backers of his disowned an advertisement he released that questioned Ms. Goodlander’s sincerity in supporting reproductive rights by mentioning her prior contributions to two Republican campaigns.
Miss. Goodlander has been transparent about her personal experience of seeking prompt medical attention for her fetus after it was diagnosed with a fatal illness and passed away inside her. She has stated that it was this experience that inspired her to run for public office.
Ms. Goodlander has an advantage going into the general election in November because of the Democratic leaning in the district, which covers Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, and runs from the state’s southernmost point to its northernmost tip. Representative Annie Kuster, a Democrat who is retiring, is leaving the seat open; she once supported Mr. Van Ostern, who served as her campaign manager.
Lily Tang Williams, who defeated Ms. Goodlander in November, emerged victorious among over a dozen contenders vying for the Republican nomination, as reported by The Associated Press.
Mrs. Although she owned a $1.22 million home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Goodlander was portrayed by her critics, such as Ms. Kuster, as a well-connected insider in Washington who called herself “a renter.”. G. along with her spouse. Her detractors charged her with attempting to “buy a seat in Congress,” pointing out that the majority of her contributions originated from outside the state, including several influential people in Washington. “.
Her background includes positions as a Supreme Court clerk, a Senate foreign policy adviser, an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve, and a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department.
Additionally, she was born into a well-known political Republican family. In addition to running for Congress in the same district where her daughter was elected on Tuesday, Betty Tamposi, her mother, was a Republican member of the State House of Representatives.
