Two More New Hampshire Democrats Jump Into 2026 Federal Races

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

New Hampshire Democrats can’t find a single serious candidate to take on Gov. Kelly Ayotte next year, but their party’s primaries for federal races are packed.

In recent days, two more Democrats entered the federal fray. State Rep. Jared Sullivan (D-Bethlehem) is running for U.S. Senate, and former state Rep. Bill Conlin (D-Dover) has declared his candidacy in the NH-01 Democratic primary.

Sullivan, an outspoken advocate of legalizing marijuana, is solidly on the left side of his party’s politics. In an interview on WMUR, Sullivan celebrated the decision of Democrats like U.S. Reps. Maggie Goodlander and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen to shut down the federal government over taxpayer subsidies for Obamacare.

“Absolutely,” Sullivan said when asked if he supported the shutdown. “I’m so glad Democrats are doing this right now.”

In his second two-year term in the New Hampshire House, Sullivan voted against a ban on sanctuary cities and against legislation protecting women from biological males in sports and private spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms. He’ll face off against scientist-activist Karishma Manzur and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas in the primary.

Conlin is also a supporter of government-funded healthcare, sponsoring legislation calling on the state’s all-Democrat congressional delegation to support a universal healthcare, also known as “Medicare for all.”

Conlin was elected to the House in 2022 and chose not to seek reelection in 2024. He joins a field that includes:

• Hampton selectwoman Carleigh Beriont;
• Nonprofit activist Sarah Chadzynski;
• State Rep. Heath Howard (D-Strafford);
• Stefany Shaheen, author and daughter of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen;
• Marine veteran and Obama administration official Maura Sullivan;
• and Christian Urrutia, attorney and captain in the Army National Guard.

Republicans also have a fairly crowded field:

• Bedford GOP activist Melissa Bailey;
• State Rep. Brian Cole (R-Manchester);
• Seacoast businessman and developer Anthony DiLorenzo;
• Hollie Noveletsky, a military veteran and owner of Novel Iron Works.

And more candidates may still enter those races, given the late date for New Hampshire’s primaries. New Hampshire’s political parties will elect their nominees on Sept. 8, 2026. The only state that goes later is Delaware on Sept. 15.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.