Maggie Goodlander, wife of Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, is exploring a congressional run in New Hampshire and would be considered the front-runner in what is expected to be a closely contested Democratic primary.
“She is seriously considering it,” Kathy Sullivan, former New Hampshire Democratic chairwoman, told DailyMail.com.
Goodlander, 37, is reaching out to New Hampshire Democrats as he weighs a bid. He spoke with Sullivan on Monday.
She and Sullivan are considered a power couple in D.C. and each has a high-profile job in President Joe Biden’s administration: She is a top lawyer at the Justice Department and he is Biden’s top adviser on foreign policy, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. This.
Maggie Goodlander, married to Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, is considering running for Congress.
Goodlander’s entry into the race would turn the congressional race into a national contest. Goodlander is a native of New Hampshire and comes from a wealthy and historic family in the state. Given her and Sullivan’s ties to national Democrats like Bill and Hillary Clinton, the race would be awash with money and high-profile endorsements.
“I think the combination of who she is, who she’s married to and the family’s backstory is interesting on a national level,” Matthew Bartlett, a veteran New Hampshire political operative, told DailyMail.com.
Goodlander and Sullivan married in 2015 in a ceremony on the Yale campus attended by Bill and Hillary Clinton, future Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Clinton gave a reading at the wedding.
The couple owns a $2.2 million home in an upscale neighborhood of Portsmouth, NH. It has been their primary residence since 2018, although they have a home in Washington DC due to their jobs.
A source close to Goodlander said people in New Hampshire approached her about running for the seat Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster is vacating and that’s why Goodlander is considering a run.
He would have to quit his job if he decides to run since, under the Hatch Act, federal employees cannot run for political office.
Sullivan, as a federal employee, would be greatly restricted in what he could do for his campaign.
The Hatch Act has a long list of what federal employees cannot do, including using their title to help a candidate and host a fundraiser. It’s unclear how much campaigning he might do for his wife. The White House counsel’s office would be consulted about his options.
National security advisor Jake Sullivan and Maggie Goodlander married in 2015; Their wedding was attended by many prominent Democrats, including Senator Amy Klobuchar.
State Senator Becky Whitley (top center) announced she is running for the congressional seat; Whitley posted a photo of the White House Easter egg roll with Maggie Goodlander (left) and Kayla Montgomery, a top Planned Parenthood official (right).
Then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walking with then-Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan in November 2009.
New Hampshire’s 2nd congressional district is one of the most competitive in the country. Kuster’s decision to retire after six terms in Congress has put her in play with both parties interested in finding a strong candidate. The winner of the seat could determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year.
Goodlander is not as well-known as Sullivan, who has become the face of Biden’s foreign policy, but she is from a famous New Hampshire family.
His grandfather, Samuel Tamposi, was the son of Romanian immigrants and a real estate developer who brought many Fortune 500 companies to the state, including Fidelity Investments, Anheuser Busch and Coca-Cola.
He was also a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox and was friends with legendary player Ted Williams.
Sam Tamposi also became a major player in Republican politics, raising millions and becoming a power broker among the Republican Party.
Goodlander’s mother, Betty Tamposi, actually ran for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District in 1988, but lost in the Republican primary.
Betty Tamposi is close to the Bush and Sununu families and was appointed Deputy Secretary of State under President George HW Bush. Tamposi was fired from that job during the 1992 election over a controversy involving Bill Clinton’s passport records.
During the 1992 election, when Clinton was running against her boss, President George HW Bush, Tamposi had Clinton’s passport records sent to her home in Virginia, claiming she was protecting them from being tampered with.
At the time, Clinton’s travels as a student and his military background in the Vietnam War were big political topics.
While unclassified, passport information is protected by the Privacy Act and access is restricted to people who need it for official government business.
Bush eventually fired her because Tamposi’s aides had also sought independent presidential candidate Ross Perot’s passport files during the campaign, leading Perot to accuse the Bush administration of a “gross abuse of federal power.”
Goodlander’s father, Theodore Goodlander, is also a real estate developer and businessman. Her parents’ 2009 divorce made headlines in New Hampshire when the couple had a bitter fight over the family’s financial assets.
Despite Tamposi’s ties to Republicans, Goodlander would run in the Democratic Party.
In many ways, her story parallels Annie Kuster, the woman she would try to replace in Congress. Kuster’s parents were prominent Republican officials in New Hampshire, but she became a Democrat.
The race to replace Kuster is already competitive. Colin Van Ostern, a former gubernatorial candidate and Kuster’s former campaign manager, announced that he is running for the seat.
And on Wednesday, state Sen. Becky Whitley announced her candidacy.
Whitley was in Washington DC on Monday to attend the Easter egg presentation at the White House. She posted a photo from the event with Goodlander and Kayla Montgomery, a top Planned Parenthood official.
Goodlander’s grandfather, Sam Tamposi (left), was a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox and a friend of legendary player Ted Williams (right).
Goodlander’s mother, Betty Tamposi, was a senior State Department official under President George HW Bush.
Goodlander actually lives in a different congressional district than the one he would be running for.
But she was born in Nashua, which is in the district, on Election Day and grew up there.
His grandfather influenced the development of Nashua into the city it is today.
A Yale Law graduate, Goodlander worked for Senators Joe Lieberman and John McCain, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and taught constitutional law at the University of New Hampshire School of Law and Dartmouth.
He is a Navy reservist and spent 11 years as an intelligence officer. She also serves on the board of directors of the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation.
She and Sullivan met at a security conference in Munich when she worked for Lieberman.
The Clinton ties come from Sullivan, who worked for Hillary Clinton. during her presidential campaign and during her time as Secretary of State.
There is still plenty of time for Goodlander to make a decision. The filing deadline is in June and the primaries are not until September 10.
At one point, it was Sullivan who was considering running for Congress.
He told the Wall Street Journal last month that he thought about it but lost interest after seeing the toll it takes on politicians.
“I’ve seen the lives of politicians,” he said. ‘And I’ve become like, ‘That’s not for me.’ ‘