Democrat Maggie Goodlander, a former top Biden White House and Justice Department official, is poised to launch a primary campaign against the potential successor to Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., according to three people. sources familiar with its planning.
The move, which could come as early as this week, promises to bring national and international politics to the center of New Hampshire’s House race as President Joe Biden tries to keep the state’s four electoral votes in his column.
Goodlander’s adviser, Scott Merrick, declined to confirm or deny whether he would run – but he said a decision would be made soon. Kuster announced his retirement this year.
“Maggie is grateful for the encouragement from Granite Staters and will make a decision in the coming days,” Merrick said.
Goodlander, who worked on domestic issues in the federal government — antitrust at the Justice Department and Biden’s “unity agenda” in the White House — was a Navy intelligence officer and an aide to two senators known for their focus on foreign policy. But she is also connected to current policy debates about the Biden administration’s stance on hot-button issues, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, through her marriage to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who advises Biden on those issues.
But Goodlander’s path to Congress won’t be without obstacles, starting with his Democratic primary challenger, Colin Van Ostern. Van Ostern, a former member of the State Executive Council, has already been confirmed By Kuster and dozens of current and former local officials.
Van Oster’s campaign declined to comment for this article.
While Goodlander’s resume in the Biden administration is formidable, he also served as a senior adviser to the late Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a Republican, and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a Democratic independent.
While his multi-party resume could help him in a likely competitive general election for the district, it could hurt him in the Democratic primary.
In addition, there are operatives in the province raised questions About how long it’s been since Goodlander actually lived in the district and voted. After leaving the White House last month, he now lives in Nashua.
Kuster caught him It has been sitting for more than 10 years, but is still competitively rated by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.Probably Democratic.”
Several candidates are vying for the GOP nomination, including entrepreneur Vikram Mansharamani, the GOP candidate for Senate in 2022.
While the state is generally considered blue overall, New Hampshire’s independent streak puts it on the edge of the presidential battleground. Biden in 2020 the state won Just over 7 percentage points.
Biden visited the state In March after former President Donald Trump escaped the nation’s first primary while visiting the state several times before the nation’s first presidential election.