Maggie Goodlander, a Nashua native who spent most of the past few decades working in Washington, secured a decisive win in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District Tuesday. Goodlander, in her first run for elected office, defeated Colin Van Ostern, a businessman and longtime fixture in state Democratic politics.
Republicans nominated Lily Tang Williams, an entrepreneur and public speaker from Weare. Williams, who ran unsuccessfully in the same primary two years ago, won a narrow victory over Lincoln investor and author Vikram Mansharamani and Bill Hamlin, a commodities trader from Hanover.
While the Republican primary was largely civil and lacked candidates with wide name recognition, the Democratic primary featured two well-funded candidates, hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside spending and some of the most aggressive intraparty attacks in recent memory.
Goodlander allies derided Van Ostern as a “perennial candidate,” while the Van Ostern campaign criticized Goodlander as an interloper who lacked a deep understanding of the district’s needs.
Both candidates largely aligned with mainstream Democrats on the issues, and both — Goodlander in particular — proved to be prolific fundraisers. With few major differences on key policy issues, the Democratic race turned largely on questions of the candidates’ biography and their claims of connection to the district’s voters.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster, who has held the seat since 2013, announced her retirement earlier this year and quickly endorsed Van Ostern, a longtime political ally who managed one of her early congressional campaigns. Kuster played a key role as a Van Ostern defender, especially in the race’s final weeks, as Van Ostern saw a number of key backers — including former Gov. John Lynch — abandon him to endorse Goodlander.
Goodlander also cast her gender as a cornerstone of her candidacy. She said Congress would benefit from more women, and said the difficulties she and her husband faced starting a family — including a recent stillbirth — gave her a particularly personal connection to the fight for reproductive rights.
Patrick Miller, a Hopkinton retiree and undeclared voter, said he was eager to vote in the Democratic primary but took a long time to make up his mind on who to support.
"I really flip-flopped, and ended up going with Maggie because of her Washington experience,” Miller said outside the polls Tuesday morning. “I thought that she would have more leverage already being in that arena."
Miller added that he hoped electing more women up and down the ticket would bring more balance to American politics.
Goodlander brings a resume rich with Washington experience. She is a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk who advised the Trump impeachment effort and held several top jobs in the Biden Administration. (Her husband, Jake Sullivan, is National Security Adviser.)
Goodlander and Sullivan have owned a house in Portsmouth since 2018, but she’s now renting an apartment in Nashua, where she hasn’t lived since college. According to her financial disclosure, Goodlander could be worth more than $30 million. Much of that wealth derives from the real estate empire built by her grandfather, Sam Tamposi.
In the Republican primary, Williams emerged from a field that included two wealthy opponents with a message heavy on liberty and wariness of all government — with a strong dash of Trumpism.
“Our country needs a leader now who will put America first, who has this populist movement called ‘America First,’ ” Williams stressed during a recent debate hosted by New Hampshire Journal. “I don't know why Democrats think MAGA Republicans are a threat. MAGA means, Make America, you know, Great.”
Born and raised in rural China, Williams has said her experience under Communism shaped her political philosophy — and also instilled in her a good dose of optimism. She moved to the U.S. as a grad student, and said she is running to help protect the American Dream she pursued.
Williams finished third in the 2nd District Republican primary two years ago. In 2016, she ran and lost a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Colorado as a Libertarian.
As of 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Williams had 36% of the vote, to 26% for Mansharamani and 17% for Hamlen.
