Jeanne Shaheen

In the 2020 Senate race for NH Senate seat, Jeanne Shaheen (D) won with 56.6% of the vote, defeating Bryant Messner (R) who received 41.0%. 2 additional candidates split the remaining vote. Jeanne Shaheen's 15.6-point advantage over the runner-up confirmed a comfortable win.

As the incumbent, Jeanne Shaheen benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2020 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2014 Senate race for NH Senate seat, Jeanne Shaheen (D) won with 51.5% of the vote, defeating Scott P. Brown (R) who received 48.2%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. The 3.3-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

This was an open-seat race. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. As a Democrat, Jeanne Shaheen won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Democrat Obama was in office).