Jeanne Shaheen
Democrat senior Senator of New Hampshire
Senator
New Hampshire
January 6, 2009 - January 3, 2015
Senator
New Hampshire
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2021
Senator
New Hampshire
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2027
8
Congresses Served
3
Senate Terms
January 1, 1947 (78 years old)
Birthday
- First woman elected as both a governor and a U.S. senator
- Served as the 78th governor of New Hampshire from 1997 to 2003
- Has been serving as the senior United States senator since January 2009
- Worked as director of the Harvard Institute of Politics before running for the U.S. Senate
- Became the first Democratic senator from New Hampshire since John A. Durkin in 1980
- Re-elected to the Senate in 2014 and 2020
- Born in St. Charles, Missouri, and moved to New Hampshire in 1973
- Holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in political science
- Worked on several political campaigns, including Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign
- Supported Al Gore in the 2000 Democratic presidential primary and was considered for his vice presidential nominee
- Named national chairperson of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign
- Advocates for health care reform, including the Medicare Transitional Care Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- Supports gun control measures, including making it illegal for individuals on the terrorist watchlist to buy guns
- Proposed legislation following the BP oil spill to abolish the Minerals Management Service
- Initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq but later criticized the handling of the situation
- Changed stance to support same-sex marriage and sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act
- Voted against a $15/hour minimum wage amendment in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
- Holds several committee assignments, including Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee