Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announced Wednesday that she will not seek re-election in 2026.

“Today, after careful consideration, I’m announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek reelection to the Senate in 2026,” Shaheen said.

“There are urgent challenges ahead, both here at home and around the world. And while I’m not seeking re-election – believe me – I am not retiring,” she added.

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Fox News reports:

The Wednesday announcement by the former governor and three-term senator in a key New England swing state will further complicate the Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the Senate from the Republicans in next year’s elections.

The news also marks the beginning of the end of a long and successful career of the first woman in American politics to win election both as a governor and as a U.S. senator.

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“I ran for public office to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire,” Shaheen said. “That purpose has never and will never change. But today, after careful consideration, I am announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election to the Senate in 2026.”

Shaheen, who turned 78 earlier this year, added that “it’s just time.”

The senator emphasized that “while I am not seeking re-election, believe me I am not retiring. I am determined to work every day over the next two years and beyond, to continue to try to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire and this country.”

“Serving the people of New Hampshire – first as State Senator, then as Governor and now in the U.S. Senate – has been an incredible honor,” Shaheen wrote.

 

Democrats will have difficulty regaining the U.S. Senate as three Democratic senators in battleground states will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.

From the Associated Press:

History suggests that the GOP, as the party that controls the White House, would face a challenging political environment in next year’s midterm elections, which will decide the balance of power in Congress — and, with it, the fate of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. Republicans are also facing the possibility of serious economic headwinds as consumer pessimism grows and business leaders fret about Trump’s intensifying trade war.

But even before Shaheen’s announcement, the political landscape favored Republicans in the fight for the Senate, where the GOP already holds 53 seats compared with the Democrats’ 47, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.

Republicans now have pickup opportunities in three purple states where Democrats have announced retirements in recent weeks: New Hampshire’s Shaheen, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith. And the GOP is especially optimistic about the party’s chances in Georgia, where Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff is expected to face a tough road to reelection.

Democrats, by contrast, don’t have any obvious pickup opportunities.

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