The News
Jeanne Shaheen is far from the flashiest Democratic senator, but she’s been one of the most reliable winners in the party. She said Wednesday that her most recent victory would be her last.
Shaheen, a former state senator, governor and now three-term senator, won’t run for reelection in 2026. It’s a big decision for the 78-year-old and her party, opening a third now-Democratic seat in blue-leaning states after retirement announcements from Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Tina Smith of Minnesota.
Her loss will also hit the Senate as an institution: Shaheen is the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and enjoys close relationships with members of both parties.
She spoke to Semafor shortly after her announcement about why she chose not to run, the Republicans looking to replace her and what she’d like to get done before she leaves.
The View From Jeanne Shaheen
Burgess Everett: When you look at the political landscape, is this a good time to retire? Do you feel like your party is in a good position?
Jeanne Shaheen: Yes. I think 2026, given where I think the country’s going to be, and New Hampshire is going to be, it should be a good year to hold on to the seat.
Will you play a role in the race to succeed you?
I don’t usually endorse in a primary. I will help whoever gets the nomination.
Are you concerned that former GOP Gov. Chris Sununu might run?
Who knows? He’s talking about how he wants to be part of the Trump-Musk-DOGE effort. That doesn’t play very well in New Hampshire, and I think it’s going to play less well the longer we go into their efforts. So that’s the position that he’s taking. I think that’s not going to be a very popular position.
I saw former Sen. Scott Brown was here yesterday. Do you think he’ll run?
You didn’t hear me say [this]: When you write the stories, please write that he colors his hair, and I don’t. I don’t know, he’s making noises. He’s not from New Hampshire. He hasn’t done anything in New Hampshire except pretend like he’s bringing candidates into the state. You ask him, his big accomplishment is he coaches a women’s basketball team, and it’s in Massachusetts.
Did the possibility of being Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair make you consider running again?
It was more about the direction of the country and foreign policy in general, more than about this committee. What I did weigh is wanting to still be able to do the job, and not wanting to be here if I were in a position that I could no longer do a good job for New Hampshire and do a good job for the country.
Do you think Democrats need to get more young people involved in politics?
It’s to everyone’s benefit to try and get more young people engaged in politics and public service. You know, that’s what I did at the Institute of Politics when I was the director there. That was the mission, to get young people involved. And I think it’s really important, because that’s what makes government and democracy work.
That’s one of the things that’s so distressing about what Trump and Musk are doing right now. Because they’re saying to people: We don’t appreciate your public service. In the time that I’ve been involved in politics, I could count on one hand the number of people who I thought weren’t trying to do the right thing, trying to to do what was best for their constituents, and state employees, federal employees, who work hard and often at some sacrifice to themselves and their families, to try and do do their jobs well.
And to have people be denigrated for that effort, I think it’s not in the country’s interest. It’s a disservice to so many people who said, “I’m going to work in the public sector when I could get paid more in the private sector. But because I think this is a service to the country, I’m doing what’s right.” And to have them do what they’re doing, and to say to the American public: “These people are corrupt, they’re the swamp,” whatever he calls them. I think that’s a real disservice to the country.
There’s a lot of pundits arguing the Democratic Party needs more young leaders. Did that idea play a role in your decision?
No, I think we have lots of young leaders. We’ve seen them start to come through New Hampshire [as an early primary state], which is great.
What are you trying to get done before your term ends?
One of my top priorities is looking at: What can we do to put Ukraine in the best possible position for any negotiations? And again, as I’ve said, I think Donald Trump is being manipulated by Vladimir Putin. And that’s unfortunate. I still think there’s strong bipartisan support for Ukraine, and we need to think about how we ensure that they have the most leverage they can at the negotiating table. It would be unfortunate to have Donald Trump sell Ukraine down the river in the same way that he sold Afghanistan down the river.
Are you taking a lot more calls from people in Canada than you might have expected a couple of months ago?
Canada’s really important. It’s one of our biggest trading partners in New Hampshire. We have the highest percentage of Canadian Americans of any state in the country. And we have lots of people who go back and forth over the border all the time, and businesses who work on both sides of the border.
And to have our national anthem booed at hockey games is an embarrassment, and this is totally of Donald Trump’s making.
Did Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Schumer try to convince you to change your mind?
No. He’s been very supportive. He said he would like it — for the three of us who have decided that we’re not going to run — if we had been willing to run again.