Maggie Goodlander clinches victory in contentious Democratic primary for New Hampshire House seat
Goodlander, an attorney and spouse of a senior Biden White House official, won decisively against Colin Van Ostern in a primary that became increasingly contentious.
TroibNews 
Maggie Goodlander, a lawyer and spouse of Joe Biden’s national security adviser, emerged victorious in a contentious Democratic primary for an open congressional seat in New Hampshire.
Goodlander decisively defeated Colin Van Ostern, the Democratic governor nominee from 2016, who was backed by the retiring incumbent, Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, along with several influential figures in the state.
The primary highlighted divisions within the state’s political establishment and led to a level of hostility not often seen in New Hampshire races.
Van Ostern and his supporters criticized Goodlander, who has strong family ties in the area, for returning to the district after spending years in Washington to pursue a congressional run. They alleged that she gained an unfair advantage through her connections with her husband, Jake Sullivan, and relied heavily on contributions from outside New Hampshire.
However, it was Van Ostern’s late-August television advertisement that ignited the most significant allegations of misconduct. In the ad, Kuster appeared on camera to insinuate that Goodlander was not adequately supportive of abortion rights due to her previous donations of “thousands to pro-life Republicans.”
This ad generated considerable backlash, especially since Goodlander had previously shared a deeply personal narrative at the campaign's outset—revealing a traumatic late miscarriage in which she had to deliver her stillborn son in a hotel bathtub because she couldn't access timely medical care in the post-Roe landscape.
The response on Capitol Hill was swift. Elect Democratic Women, a group co-founded by Kuster aimed at increasing the number of pro-abortion rights women in Congress, chose to endorse Goodlander. Following this, Kuster resigned. Additionally, members of the New Democrat Coalition, which Kuster chairs, expressed frustration that a super PAC associated with the coalition was supporting Van Ostern instead of conserving resources for more competitive races.
Goodlander is set to face businesswoman Lily Tang Williams, the winner of the GOP primary on Tuesday, in the general election. In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden secured the district by a margin of 9 points.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Goodlander decisively defeated Colin Van Ostern, the Democratic governor nominee from 2016, who was backed by the retiring incumbent, Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, along with several influential figures in the state.
The primary highlighted divisions within the state’s political establishment and led to a level of hostility not often seen in New Hampshire races.
Van Ostern and his supporters criticized Goodlander, who has strong family ties in the area, for returning to the district after spending years in Washington to pursue a congressional run. They alleged that she gained an unfair advantage through her connections with her husband, Jake Sullivan, and relied heavily on contributions from outside New Hampshire.
However, it was Van Ostern’s late-August television advertisement that ignited the most significant allegations of misconduct. In the ad, Kuster appeared on camera to insinuate that Goodlander was not adequately supportive of abortion rights due to her previous donations of “thousands to pro-life Republicans.”
This ad generated considerable backlash, especially since Goodlander had previously shared a deeply personal narrative at the campaign's outset—revealing a traumatic late miscarriage in which she had to deliver her stillborn son in a hotel bathtub because she couldn't access timely medical care in the post-Roe landscape.
The response on Capitol Hill was swift. Elect Democratic Women, a group co-founded by Kuster aimed at increasing the number of pro-abortion rights women in Congress, chose to endorse Goodlander. Following this, Kuster resigned. Additionally, members of the New Democrat Coalition, which Kuster chairs, expressed frustration that a super PAC associated with the coalition was supporting Van Ostern instead of conserving resources for more competitive races.
Goodlander is set to face businesswoman Lily Tang Williams, the winner of the GOP primary on Tuesday, in the general election. In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden secured the district by a margin of 9 points.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
