State Sen. Becky Whitley is pulling the plug on her run for Congress in the state’s 2nd Congressional District.
Whitley’s decision comes two months after she joined the race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, and on the first day of the formal candidate filing period.
As she campaigned last week, Whitley, a Democrat from Hopkinton, told NHPR she planned to win her party’s nomination by “talking and listening to every single Granite Stater in the district.”
But in a press release announcing the end of her bid, Whitley expressed frustration about the reality of running against better known, better connected rivals. Those include former Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern, whom Kuster has endorsed, and former Biden administration lawyer Maggie Tamposi Goodlander.
“This experience has given me a front row seat to the outsized role of money and insider connections in politics,” Whitley said. “I am deeply proud of the campaign we ran and the role we played, but at this juncture, I don’t believe remaining in the race is the highest and best use of the full weight of my time and energy, nor the best way to advance my goals in public service.”
Whitley, who is now assistant Democratic leader in the state Senate, will not seek reelection to her Senate seat representing Concord, Hopkinton, and Bow.
