Maggie Hassan

Margaret Wood Hassan ( ; ; born February 27, 1958) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator for New Hampshire since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Hassan was the 81st governor of New Hampshire, from 2013 to 2017.

Born in Boston, Hassan graduated from Brown University and earned a J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law. After graduating from law school in 1985, she worked at the law firm Palmer & Dodge. She later worked as associate general counsel for Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Hassan first ran for the New Hampshire Senate in 2002, losing to incumbent Russell Prescott. She ran again in 2004 and won. She served in the New Hampshire Senate from 2005 to 2010. She became the state senate majority leader in 2008 before losing reelection in a 2010 rematch with Prescott.

Hassan ran for governor in 2012, defeating former state senator Jacalyn Cilley in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee Ovide M. Lamontagne in the general election. She was reelected in 2014. After becoming governor, Hassan was elected vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association and served as a superdelegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She was reelected in 2022. She serves with Jeanne Shaheen, another former governor. Hassan, Shaheen, and Ayotte are the only women in U.S. history to be elected both governor and U.S. senator. Hassan is expected to become New Hampshire's senior senator and the dean of the state's congressional delegation upon Shaheen's retirement in 2027.

Early life and education Margaret Wood was born in Boston on February 27, 1958, and grew up in the Boston suburb of Lincoln, where she sang in school choirs and at church.

Hassan attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Sudbury, Massachusetts, graduating in 1976. She graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 1985 with a juris doctor and worked as an attorney from 1985 to 1992. She worked as assistant general counsel at Brigham and Women's Hospital from 1993 to 1996. She then returned to work as an attorney from 1996 to 2009. From 1993 to 1996, Hassan was associate general counsel for Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Hassan became a disability rights activist when her son with cerebral palsy began school and she sought accommodations for him. This led Governor Jeanne Shaheen to appoint Hassan citizen advisor for the Adequacy in Education and Finance Commission in 1999.

New Hampshire Senate In the 2002 election, Democratic leadership asked Hassan to run to represent New Hampshire's 23rd State Senate District, which includes East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, Kingston, Newfields, Newmarket, Newton, Seabrook, South Hampton and Stratham. She believed her job and family meant she would not have time to hold political office, but she ran after her husband's encouragement. She lost to incumbent Republican Russell Prescott, 54% to 46%, but ran again in 2004 and defeated Prescott in a rematch, 52% to 48%. In 2006, she was reelected against Natalie Healy, 60% to 40%. In 2008, she defeated Lee Quandt, 57% to 43%.

Hassan held leadership positions in the New Hampshire Senate, including assistant Democratic whip and president pro tempore. She also chaired the Capital Budget and Public Municipal Affairs Committees. She helped pass the FY2008-09 budget.

In 2008, Senate President Sylvia Larsen chose Hassan to serve as Senate Majority Leader, the number two position in the New Hampshire Senate. Larsen said she chose Hassan because she wanted someone who would fight to get the Democratic caucus to support the same agenda, at times creating friction between Hassan and her Republican colleagues. She was majority leader from 2008 to 2010.

Hassan supported Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

In 2010, Hassan proposed a healthcare regulation system called "Maggie Care" by her opponents in reference to the Affordable Care Act's nickname "Obamacare". Her proposed commission was created, but she was unable to grant it the power to limit rates.

Hassan helped pass the FY2010-11 budget. This budget increased spending by over $1 billion and contained 33 tax and fee increases, including on campsites and hotel rooms, New Hampshire businesses, and vehicle registration fees.

Hassan served in the New Hampshire Senate for six years. She lost to Prescott in the 2010 election, 53% to 47%. This was one of many losses for Democrats across the country in a year where Republicans performed exceptionally well. The New Hampshire Republican Party gained control of both the state House and state Senate.

New Hampshire Senate committee assignments Capital Budget Committee Commerce, Labor and Consumer Protection Finance Public and Municipal Affairs (Chair) Energy, Environment, and Economic Development (Vice Chair) Internal Affairs Committee Executive Department and Administration Committee

New Hampshire Senate caucus membership Congressional Coalition on Adoption

Governor of New Hampshire 2012 election

Hassan announced her candidacy for governor of New Hampshire in October 2011, one month after incumbent governor John Lynch announced his retirement. She was the first Democrat to enter the gubernatorial race.

Matt Burgess managed Hassan's campaign and senior consultants included media consultant Joe Slade White. Independent expenditure groups spent more than $11 million on Hassan's behalf. Major financial support for her campaign came from the Washington, D.C.–based Democratic Governor's Association, the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the National Education Association.

The Democratic Party performed well in New Hampshire's 2012 elections. Hassan received 55% of the vote to Lamontagne's 43% and carried every county in the state. Her election made New Hampshire the first state whose governor and entire Congressional delegation were women. Hassan was the only woman running for governor in 2012.

First term as governor (2013–2015) Hassan was sworn in as governor on January 3, 2013. She took office with a legislature split between Democrats and Republicans, and advocated bipartisanship. Hassan's major initiatives as governor involved funding for higher education, expanding mental health services, and support for gambling. The state had budget surpluses during her first term. Critics accused Hassan of being too uninvolved in developing the state's budget. That year, she signed a bill creating a state sea level rise commission. Hassan passed a Medicaid expansion in 2014.

During a conflict between two sides of the Demoulas family, which owns the Market Basket grocery chain, Hassan urged the family to resolve the dispute, which threatened 9,000 jobs in New Hampshire.

Hassan did not live in the Governor's Mansion but in a colonial house on the campus of the school of which her husband was principal. The last governor to live in the Governor's Mansion was Meldrim Thomson in the 1970s. In October 2014, Hassan was ordered to return another $25,000 in funds a union donated to her gubernatorial campaign because the union had not properly registered with the state as a political committee.

Havenstein campaigned on corporate tax cuts, opposition to gambling, and support for right-to-work laws. Hassan was reelected with 53% of the vote to Havenstein's 47%. She carried seven of 10 counties. Her victory was a win for Democrats in a year when they otherwise performed poorly.

Second term as governor (2015–2017) The Republican Party controlled both chambers of New Hampshire's legislature during Hassan's second term, challenging her ability to enact her policies.

The opioid epidemic remained a major issue in Hassan's second term. Opponents criticized her for taking insufficient action, and she responded by saying the state needed more federal assistance to address the issue. Her second term also included a renewed fight to extend New Hampshire's Medicaid expansion, which Republicans opposed.

In July 2015, Hassan vetoed a bill that would have removed the licensing requirement for carrying concealed firearms. In response to New Hampshire's opioid crisis, she appointed Jack Wozmak the state's "drug czar" in early 2015. He resigned a year later in response to complaints about his job performance. Hassan also worked to preserve funding for the state's Planned Parenthood clinics and approved bonds to fund the redevelopment of The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel. Low unemployment during her tenure boosted Hassan's approval rating.

U.S. Senate 2016 election

Hassan campaigning at a Hillary Clinton rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, in October 2016. As a popular governor, Hassan was considered a likely Senate candidate in the 2016 election. Early polling suggested she had a high chance of winning, and both parties were running ads about her before she entered the race. Hassan announced her candidacy in October 2015. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary and she faced incumbent Kelly Ayotte in the general election.

The race in New Hampshire was set to be close, and it was seen as a major factor in which party would control the Senate. Hassan campaigned on reducing the influence of corporations and special interests in federal politics.

Hassan's campaign was affected by a sex scandal at the school where Hassan's husband was principal. A teacher accused of sexual relations with students was involved in Hassan's campaign after the allegations were made in 2011.

Hassan campaigned on abortion rights, and was endorsed by the pro-choice Democratic political action committee EMILY's List, which had also backed her gubernatorial campaigns.

Hassan endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. She was scrutinized for evading a question about whether Clinton was "honest and trustworthy", only later correcting her answer to say that she was.

Hassan said climate change and reproductive rights would be her top priorities as a senator. Hassan and Ayotte were also distinguished by their positions on gun control, as Hassan supported restrictions and Ayotte opposed them.

Hassan defeated Ayotte by 1,017 votes, less than one percentage point. She was one of two Senate candidates to unseat an incumbent Republican that year. Hassan declared victory before the election was called, when 299 of 300 precincts had reported their results and she led by 692 votes. Ayotte conceded without requesting a recount. Hassan became the second woman, after Shaheen, to serve as both a governor and a US Senator.

First US Senate term (2017–2023) Hassan being sworn in to the U.S. Senate by Vice President Joe Biden in 2017. Hassan joined the Senate as one of its more moderate Democrats. She used her first speech on the Senate floor to address the opioid epidemic.

Hassan was critical of Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump's nominee for United States Secretary of Education, for being insufficiently supportive of children with disabilities. Her questioning of DeVos during her Senate confirmation hearing, where Hassan criticized her for being unfamiliar with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, increased Hassan's national profile.

Hassan was appointed to the Senate Committee on Finance in 2019.

During her first term, Hassan became chairwoman of the Women's Senate Network within the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Hassan focused on the opioid epidemic during her first term, as New Hampshire had the third-highest rate of drug overdose deaths, and worked with other legislators from the state to increase funding for the issue. She criticized the Trump administration in a Time magazine op-ed for insufficient action against the epidemic.

A former system administrator from Hassan's staff who had been fired in 2018 used another staff member's access to hack the Senate's computers and release the personal information of five Republican senators who were involved in Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. Another aide pleaded guilty to giving him access.

Hassan suspended an intern for a week in 2018 for shouting an expletive at Trump, but cautioned that the intern's incivility should not be compared to Trump's. Hassan rejected demands that she fire the intern.

Hassan opposed Trump's nomination of William Barr as attorney general in 2019 because of his stance on executive power and his opinion on the Mueller special counsel investigation.

Hassan was on the shortlist to be selected as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 presidential election, but Kamala Harris was ultimately chosen.

Hassan participated in a bipartisan Trump administration task force to support the reopening of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Hassan was in the Senate chamber on January 6, 2021, for the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. After rioters breached the Capitol, Hassan, along with staff and other senators, was removed from the chamber to an undisclosed location. She called the event traumatizing, an "insurrection", and "one of the grimmest days in the history of our country". On January 7, she called for Trump to resign, calling him "unfit for office". She also called for an investigation into the lack of security, poor law enforcement response, She primarily used this position to focus on cybersecurity.

Also in 2021, Hassan supported abolishing the Senate filibuster.

Along with her fellow senator from New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen, Hassan was among the strongest defenders of President Joe Biden's selection of Michael Delaney, a New Hampshire politician opposed by both parties for his defense of St. Paul's School in a civil sexual assault case. Hassan criticized Biden's selection of Janet Woodcock as head of the Food and Drug Administration, citing her past handling of the opioid epidemic.

As of September 2021, Hassan had voted in line with President Biden's stated position 100% of the time. Hassan was ranked the most bipartisan senator that year by the Lugar Center by measuring co-sponsorship of bills with members of the opposing party. It ranked her third in 2024.

Hassan was among the moderate senators who criticized the Biden administration as it became less popular. She criticized it for responding to inflation too slowly.

2022 election Hassan ran for reelection in 2022 and won the Democratic primary with 94% of the vote.

New Hampshire was one of the six competitive Senate races in 2022, and one of four being defended by Democrats. Hassan's path to reelection was considered especially difficult because Republicans had two popular contenders, Governor Chris Sununu and former Senator Kelly Ayotte. Both declined, and the Republican nomination went to retired general Don Bolduc. Bolduc was criticized within his own party for holding far-right beliefs and promoting conspiracy theories. Both Hassan and Bolduc struggled in polling. Buldoc challenged Hassan to seven debates, and Hassan eventually agreed to one televised debate and two non-televised.

Abortion and inflation were the main issues in Hassan's reelection campaign. Hassan campaigned on abortion rights, an issue that brought strong turnout in her favor after Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and a previous fight over abortion restrictions in New Hampshire. Bolduc campaigned against inflation and tied Hassan to the Biden administration's unpopular handling of the economy. Hassan also campaigned on gas prices in 2022, including support for a gas tax holiday and release of oil from the federal oil reserve.

Hassan won reelection with 53% of the vote to Bolduc's 44%.

Second US Senate term (2023–present) Hassan criticized the Democratic National Committee for moving the party's first presidential primary election from New Hampshire to South Carolina in 2024.

Hassan was among the Democrats who criticized Trump's choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2025, citing her son's experiences with cerebral palsy to criticize Kennedy's spreading of misinformation about medical science.

Hassan was one of eight Democratic-aligned senators who voted to end the 2025 shutdown of the federal government, and one of three who then voted to confirm Trump's judicial nominees.

In 2026, Hassan launched an investigation into Homeland Security official Corey Lewandowski in her role on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

U.S. Senate committee assignments Committee on Finance Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight (Chair) Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management Committee on Veterans Affairs Joint Economic Committee

Political positions Hassan speaking with Catherine Cortez Masto at a Senate committee hearing in June 2017. Hassan has been described as a centrist or moderate Democratic and advocates bipartisanship. She is often a swing vote in the Senate. Hassan opposes using reconciliation to enact progressive policy.

Hassan is known for being especially polished and on-message when speaking, which critics consider rigid and repetitive. Hassan supported requiring insurance companies to cover over-the-counter contraception.

Crime As governor, Hassan supported a stronger state trooper presence and the creation of a new women's prison. She signed laws to combat domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and parental rights for rapists.

Hassan advocated the creation of a receiving facility for mental health services in New Hampshire, and pushed for an increase in funding for mental health in response to a class action lawsuit by the United States Department of Justice.

Hassan has said cryptocurrency should be regulated because of its use in ransomware attacks and other criminal activity.

Drug policy As governor, Hassan signed legislation to legalize medical cannabis but said she would veto any bill that came to her desk to legalize recreational cannabis. As of 2020, NORML, an organization that seeks legalization, gave Hassan a C− grade as a U.S. senator due to her actions as governor.

Hassan supports combating the illegal drug market by providing treatment for fentanyl users to reduce demand.

Hassan opposed increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2021 out of concern for how it would affect small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she instead supported an increase to $12 per hour.

Hassan split with Congress to support the Biden administration's proposal to temporarily waive the federal fuel tax in 2022.

While campaigning for reelection in 2022, Hassan expressed support for increasing the cap on income taxes that go into Social Security, suggesting that the rich "pay a little bit more into the system".

As governor, Hassan launched the Live Free and Start program to encourage tech startup companies to go to New Hampshire.

Hassan opposed the Trump administration's tariffs, saying they were causing inflation and hurting American's retirement savings.

Hassan has accused oil companies of raising prices despite record profits.

Hassan has argued that school vouchers disadvantage students with disabilities by leaving them in public schools while other students are able to attend private schools.

Hassan supports reforming how elementary schools and high schools assess students.

Environment As a state senator, Hassan pushed to reduce mercury emissions in coal power plants.

Hassan advocates a stronger response to prevent climate change.

Firearms In 2012, the National Review reported that Hassan had a "D" grade from the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). She supports a background check system to avoid gun sales to the mentally ill. She was supported by Gabby Giffords and Michael Bloomberg in the 2016 election.

In March 2018, Hassan was one of 10 senators to sign a letter to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander and ranking Democrat Patty Murray requesting they schedule a hearing on the causes and remedies of mass shootings in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Hassan opposed a bill that would have granted the right to concealed carry without a license.

Foreign policy In 2019, Hassan was among 23 Senate Democrats to vote for a resolution criticizing excessive withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan.

In 2021, Hassan introduced legislation tying foreign aid to prevention of fentanyl trafficking.

In October 2023, Hassan visited China as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and met with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping. The delegation also met Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji, and Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Chen Jining.

Hassan endorsed the airstrike on Syria Trump ordered in 2017 as retaliation for a Syrian chemical attack against its own people, but insisted that Trump not take further action without consulting Congress and international allies.

Following the 2021 American withdrawal from Afghanistan, Hassan criticized Biden's decision to follow a deadline for withdrawal, which she called arbitrary.

Hassan endorsed the Biden administration's decision to reduce restrictions on the prescription of buprenorphine as an alternative to opioids.

Immigration Hassan supports strengthening border control and criticized the Biden administration for insufficiently vetting immigrants. Both major parties responded negatively, describing the trip as a photo op, with especially strong backlash from Latino political groups.

Hassan criticized the travel ban implemented by the Trump administration in 2017, calling it "a backdoor Muslim ban".

Of the possibility of a border wall, Hassan said she supported closing gaps in physical barriers.

Hassan supported barring entrance for Syrian refugees during the Syrian refugee crisis until vetting procedures were expanded.

In 2025, Hassan was one of 12 Senate Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.

Infrastructure and transportation As governor, Hassan unsuccessfully pushed for a commuter rail to Boston.

As a senator, Hassan passed legislation in 2017 protecting passenger rights following the violent removal of a passenger on a United Airlines flight and granting protections for passengers with disabilities.

Hassan supports the expansion of broadband internet and incorporated it into infrastructure legislation in 2021.

Hassan voted in favor of seat belt legislation while serving in the New Hampshire Senate.

Hassan said her priority on infrastructure was to obtain bipartisan support instead of including all the Biden administration's policies.

Journalism In July 2019, Hassan cosponsored the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, a bill introduced by Ben Cardin and Rob Portman that would create a new memorial funded privately and constructed on federal land in Washington, D.C. to honor journalists, photographers, and broadcasters who died in the line of duty.

Judiciary Hassan has supported term limits for Supreme Court justices but opposes increasing the court's size.

Hassan introduced provisions into the annual defense budget to prevent women in the military from paying more for their uniforms.

Hassan opposes closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, breaking with her party.

Personal life Hassan is a member of the United Church of Christ. She is married to Thomas Hassan, a principal of Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, whom she met while attending Brown University. In 2016, The Association of Boarding Schools censured Thomas Hassan for failing to disclose a former Phillips Exeter teacher's sexual misconduct. They have two children, and she cites her son's cerebral palsy as a reason for entering politics.

Hassan has received honorary doctorates from the University of New Hampshire (2013), Northeastern University (2013), Southern New Hampshire University (2014), New Hampshire Institute of Art (2015), New England College (2016), and UNH School of Law (2017).

Electoral history State Senate

Governor

U.S. Senate