In Their Own Words: Maggie Goodlander On US Senate, Current State Of Democrats

By NewsNHJ, NH Journal

U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) is reportedly considering running for U.S. Senate next year to fill the upcoming opening when Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) retires. She was asked about the race and about the current condition of the Democratic Party by Adam Sexton on WMUR.

Her answers are below.

SEXTON: Does Congressman Chris Pappas’ decision have any bearing on your own decision to run for U.S. Senate?

GOODLANDER: “I’m taking it one day at a time, and we really have to these days, because it’s going to take all of us, Adam. We have got to, we’ve all got to be focused on what we can do, each and every one of us in our own way, to do the most we can for our communities. And I’m seeing it all across the state.”

SEXTON: Do Democrats, and you in particular, need to course correct on the issues of illegal immigration, crime, and protecting girls sports?

GOODLANDER: “I am who I’ve always been. And I’m doing things the New Hampshire way. My focus has been… (pause). The status quo is not working. People are feeling a lot of pain. You know, I don’t spend time talking about macroeconomic stats, trying to make the case that the economy is working because it’s not. Hard working people are feeling a lot of pain. They’re feeling it at the gas pump. They’re feeling it at the grocery store. They’re feeling it in every part of their lives. And what I’m focused on is delivering for the people of New Hampshire, lowering our costs. And that’s that is something that we should all be able to get behind.”

SEXTON: You’ve only been in Congress for just over 70 days. Is it really time to announce you’re seeking higher office?

“You know, Adam, I wake up every day, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be doing the job that I’m doing, to be representing the people of the state of New Hampshire, the state that made me who I am, at this critical moment in our country’s history.

“Every single time I’ve made a decision about what I’m going to do, I’ve thought about it — whether it’s been joining the Navy, or working at the White House, or working at the Department of Justice — every decision I’ve made has been really about where can I go to be of use? Where can I go to try to do good work as best I can? And that’s what I’m I’m always going to do in my life.”

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.