Voters in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday will select a new member of Congress this fall for the first time in 12 years, a prospect that has led to a contentious and expensive primary between influential Democrats.
Former New Hampshire Executive Councilor Colin van Ostern and former Department of Justice Deputy Assistant Attorney General Maggie Goodlander are squaring off in the Democratic primary to replace six-term Rep. Annie Kuster, who is retiring.
Van Ostern jumped into the race first, quickly earning Kuster’s endorsement. But his straight shot to the Democratic nomination in a district rated “likely Democratic” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, was stifled when Goodlander, a longtime congressional and legal staffer in Washington, launched her campaign in May.
Goodlander, who is originally from New Hampshire and is married to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, has surged since launching her campaign in May, earning support from EMILY’s List and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Tensions have heightened in the closing weeks of the race, with money flowing in and one high-profile Van Ostern backer — former Gov. John Lynch — switching his support to Goodlander.
Van Ostern still touts endorsements from several high-profile New Hampshire leaders, including two former state Democratic Party chairs — Kathy Sullivan and Ned Helms — and former statewide elected officials, such as former state Attorney General Joe Foster and former state Senate President Sylvia Larsen.
Focus on reproductive rights
Goodlander and Van Ostern have particularly sharpened their attacks against each other over reproductive rights.
“Access to health care and access to reproductive rights have been central issues to me for the last 15-plus years of my life,” Van Ostern told NBC News, touting his work funding Planned Parenthood while on the New Hampshire Executive Council.
“I think that New Hampshire voters know how to judge somebody on their actions, not just their words,” he added.
Asked to respond, Goodlander told NBC News: “My opponent’s core attack against me is an attack on my commitment to reproductive freedom, and he’s made this attack even though he knows my professional record.”
On the trail, Goodlander has highlighted her work clerking for former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and her work at the Justice Department in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In her campaign ads and videos, Goodlander has also shared her personal experience seeking emergency reproductive care, telling voters in one TV ad, “I’ve fought my own painful battles. When I was 20 weeks pregnant, [my husband] and I lost our son.”
“He knows all of this, but nevertheless, he’s attacked my commitment to reproductive freedom,” Goodlander told NBC News.
Each candidate has also criticized the other for working with Republicans, including some who opposed abortion rights.
At a debate hosted by WMUR last week,