Stefany Shaheen Wins Democratic Primary in New Hampshire

Stefany Shaheen won the Democratic primary race for New Hampshire's First Congressional District on Tuesday night. The Associated Press declared her the winner after a tough contest against Maura Sullivan. Shaheen, who is 52 years old, will now represent her party in the November 3 general election. The district covers much of the eastern part of New Hampshire, including the city of Manchester.

Shaheen is the oldest daughter of retiring U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. She has worked as a business leader and once served on the Portsmouth City Council. During her campaign, she promised to hold President Trump responsible for his actions and to work on improving health care for Americans. These issues helped her build strong support early in the race.

When Shaheen first entered the race more than a year ago, many people already knew her name because of her famous mother. That name recognition gave her a big early lead over Sullivan. However, Sullivan worked hard to close the gap over several months. By the final weeks before the vote, some polls even showed Sullivan slightly ahead, though the numbers were very close.

The race between the two candidates became heated. They argued with each other about their job histories and where their campaign money came from. A third candidate, Carleigh Beriont, stayed out of the fighting and gained support as a result. Political science professor Dante Scala from the University of New Hampshire warned that attacking each other could hurt both Sullivan and Shaheen and help someone like Beriont.

Sullivan, who is 46 years old, said she was the candidate for change in this race. She suggested that Shaheen only got into the race because of her family connections. "When you don't come from a political family ... you have to work three times as hard," Sullivan said at a campaign event on August 31. Sullivan served in the Marine Corps in Iraq and later worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Obama.

On Tuesday night, Sullivan spoke to her supporters at a brewery in Manchester shortly after 10 p.m. She thanked them and said the race wasn't over yet, since not all the votes had been counted. About two and a half hours later, the Associated Press called the race for Shaheen. By Wednesday morning, with about 90 percent of the votes counted, Shaheen had 37.3 percent, Sullivan had 35 percent, and Beriont had 21.9 percent.

In the November general election, Shaheen will face Anthony DiLorenzo, a businessman who won the Republican primary with support from President Trump. This district has often switched back and forth between voting for Democrats and Republicans over the years. But political experts say that this year, Democrats have a better chance of winning the seat.