Second Congressional District Democratic candidate Maggie Goodlander speaks with reporters after signing up to seek the nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who is retiring at year’s end. Secretary of State David Scanlan watched in the foreground and ex-U.S. Rep. Dick Swett, D-N.H., is at the far right.
Democratic congressional candidate Maggie Goodlander of Nashua said she'd seek to ban crisis pregnancy centers she accused of spreading misinformation while counseling women who were considering having an abortion.
Here, she greeted former Democratic National Committeeman Terry Shumaker of Concord while formally signing up earlier this month to run in the Second Congressional District.
Democratic congressional candidate Maggie Goodlander of Nashua said she'd seek to ban crisis pregnancy centers she accused of spreading misinformation while counseling women who were considering having an abortion.
Here, she greeted former Democratic National Committeeman Terry Shumaker of Concord while formally signing up earlier this month to run in the Second Congressional District.
Second Congressional District Democratic candidate Maggie Goodlander speaks with reporters after signing up to seek the nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who is retiring at year’s end. Secretary of State David Scanlan watched in the foreground and ex-U.S. Rep. Dick Swett, D-N.H., is at the far right.
CONCORD — Democratic congressional candidate Maggie Goodlander of Nashua said if elected she would pursue bipartisan solutions to advance freedom for Granite Staters on abortion rights, protecting democracy and helping families cope with the rising costs to pay for basic needs.
During an interview, Goodlander, 38, said she would bring her experience as a federal Justice Department administrator to press for antitrust reforms against corporate monopolies that could make housing and prescription drugs more affordable while reducing the threats to mental health that the nation’s youth face while surfing on the internet.
“I am a capitalist and I believe capitalism without competition is not competition but is, in fact, a pernicious form of exploitation,” Goodlander said.
“We haven’t updated fundamentally our antitrust laws in 100 years.” I am excited to go down and be part of a bipartisan movement to break up the hold corporate monopolies have in this country.”
For example, in housing, Goodlander said working class families can’t afford a home in part due to a fixed, 6% fee financers attach to virtually every mortgage along with title costs she referred to as the “original junk fee.”
In the rental market, monthly rates are set too artificially high and kept that way through an algorithm used throughout the industry, she insisted.
“You make this change the same way we busted trusts through our American history, by bringing some guardrails to where the competition is being driven out and restoring fair pricing throughout the system,” Goodlander said.
She faces off in this 2nd Congressional District primary against a formidable foe in former Executive Councilor and 2016 nominee for governor Colin Van Ostern of Concord, but said she’s determined to build a grassroots organization that will be second to none.
“I’m only 34 days into this journey and I’m so gratified with the support we have built in this state and there’s so much more work to do,” Goodlander said.
She released a list of more than 120 prominent Democrats backing her that included former Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick, former Party Chairman George Bruno, ex-Democratic National Committeeman Terry Shumaker, 2022 Democratic nominee Tom Sherman of Rye and solar energy executive Dan Weeks of Nashua.
Goodlander’s mother, former George H. Bush administration official Betty Tamposi, ran for this seat as a GOP state legislator in 1988, losing that primary to the eventual winner, Chuck Douglas.
Standing right behind Goodlander after she filed was Dick Swett of Bow, the last Democrat to have held this seat until incumbent Annie Kuster first won it back in 2012.
“She’s got an inspiring story to tell and now she’s got to get out in front of as many house parties and town meetings as she can muster in these next three months,” Swett said.
Kuster is retiring at year’s end after six terms in office and is backing Van Ostern, who managed her first two campaign runs for this seat.
Goodlander said New Hampshire needs to pass a law guaranteeing a woman’s abortion right. She said she’d support federal legislation to enshrine the Roe v. Wade protections that existed before the Supreme Court overturned that decision two years ago.
On immigration, Goodlander said the system is “obviously broken” and she criticized former President Donald Trump for blocking congressional passage of legislation President Joe Biden supported that would help stem the flow of deadly fentanyl into this country that is killing Granite Staters.
She recalled 11 years ago working for comprehensive immigration reform that included a pathway to citizenship for those here illegally while serving as a senior advisor in the U.S. Senate to the late Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Joe Lieberman, D-Connecticut.
“We worked our hearts out and seeing that bill not make it across the finish line in the House of Representatives was one of my heartbreaks early on in my career.
“I think it continues to be a really important framework for the solution.”
