2020 General Election
Steady as she goes.
Jeanne Shaheen https://jeanneshaheen.org/ is running for her third term as Senator from New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a conservative state. A Republican state. Pundits think it leans Republican, by a point or two. Jeanne Shaheen is one of two Democrats to win two terms as a Senator from New Hampshire. With Doug Jones of Alabama, Jeanne Shaheen is the other Democratic Senator up for election in 2020 from a state that leans Republican. New Hampshire doesn’t lean Republican quite as far Alabama does.
Jeanne Shaheen’s dad managed a shoe factory. There’s a good New Hampshire job. They used to make shoes in New Hampshire. But her dad’s shoe factory was in Missouri. She was born Missouri. Spent her childhood there.
Jeanne Shaheen graduated from high school in Pennsylvania; Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Central Pennsylvania. She got her bachelor’s degree from what is now known as Shippensburg University, a part of the state university system. She began escaping her father’s Republican Party while in Shippensburg. She registered as a Democrat there. She joined other college women challenging dormitory curfews that applied to them, but not to men.
From Shippensberg, Jeanne Shaheen went to Oxford. Oxford, Mississippi. It would have been tough to escape from Republicans there. She earned a Master’s Degree in political science and taught at a Mississippi High School. While she was teaching, New Hampshire native Bill Shaheen was teaching at the University of Mississippi Law School. Bill Shaheen, descendent of Lebanese immigrants, was Jeanne Bowers Shaheen’s route to New Hampshire.
Jeanne Sheheen has her own interesting ancestry story. She is descended from Pocahontas. Donald Trump picked the wrong New England Democrat. Breitbar, Inc. didn’t believe her. She convinced them. Maybe she can refocus Trump.
Another claim to fame. She is the only woman in American history to serve as both governor of her state and US Senator.
Jeanne Shaheen is formidable. New Hampshire politicians get a chance to demonstrate their abilities at presidential primary time. The first presidential primary each cycle. She was Gary Hart’s campaign chair. While serving as governor, she was instrumental in Al Gore’s victory in the New Hampshire primary in 2000. In 2004, she was national chair of John Kerry’s campaign.
Jeanne Shaheen is a pragmatist. As governor, she demonstrated that pragmatism and its limits. In 1996 and 1998, while campaigning, she took the nearly ritualistic New Hampshire pledge of no broad based taxes. She won by a 3-2 margin in 1996, by a 2-1 margin in 1998. She won again in 2000 even thought she declined to take the pledge. She proposed new taxes. The legislature rejected her first proposal for additional education funding – legalized long distance gambling on state race tracks. The legislature rejected her next proposal of a 2.5% sales tax. And her next proposal for a state capital gains tax.
By 2002, Jeanne Shaheen was ready for something else. She ran for the US Senate against John Sununu. She lost. After a stint at Harvard, he was back in 2008. Running again against John Sununu. She won.
Jeanne Shaheen does not surprise the people of New Hampshire. As Senator, she supported the Affordable Care Act, was for modest gun safety efforts such as expanded background checks. In 2002, no less than her Republican opponent, she supported ousting Saddam Hussein in Iraq. She had opposed same sex marriage while governor, but by 2009 favored a federal law to allow it. On her website, she features news articles about her effort to oppose the President’s restriction against funding international aid organizations that provide abortions, about her efforts to ensure that gay veterans get equal benefits.
Jeanne Shaheen has opposition in the 2020 race. One announced so far – Retired Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, former Deputy Director of the Africa Command. There will be more Republicans who want to run against her. New Hampshire is sufficiently Republican so that Republican think they can win an election against her. She has, however, escaped her most formidable potential opponent. Chris Sununu, son of John, currently the governor has decided against running for the Senate.
Give Jeanne Shaheen https://jeanneshaheen.org/ some support. Long term monthly donations, even if they are small, are extremely helpful. Politicians love contributions they know will keep on coming. They love the commitment associated with monthly contributions. Democrats need to defend all their Senate seats and to flip three to regain the Senate. That formula works only if Donald Trump is defeated. Otherwise, they need to flip four seats. Help Jeanne Shaeen. Help make sure that Mitch McConnell is Minority Leader of the Senate.
TAKE BACK THE SENATE
Doug Jones Reelection from Alabama
Jaime Harrison Party Leader for South Carolina
Mark Kelly Former Astronaut for Arizona
Jeanne Shaheen Reelection from New Hampshire
Support these candidates now. More to come.
