Will The House Of Shaheen Survive Tuesday In New Hampshire?

Stefany Shaheen says she isn’t running on her renowned surname. But her mother, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, still looms over her open House primary in New Hampshire.

Nearly $740,000 raised by her campaign came from donors who had previously given to her mother — 39 percent of total itemized campaign dollars, according to a POLITICO analysis. (She also had substantial overlap with other members of New Hampshire’s all-Democratic delegation, but not close to that extent.)

It’s not all coincidental: One of those donors, granted anonymity to disclose private conversations, said the senator reached out last fall seeking their support for her daughter’s bid.

And her family connections have helped facilitate other support. Former Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, a potential 2028 presidential hopeful who said he and Shaheens “go way back,” campaigned with Stefany Shaheen in the spring.

“She’s never, ever rested on her name,” Emanuel said. “She’s making her own way, and campaigning her own way. And that’s what I admired about her.”

But it’s a double-edged sword. Stefany Shaheen’s opponents have turned what one recent ad called her “fancy last name” into an attack line in the contentious Democratic race to replace Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire’s competitive 1st District.

Stefany Shaheen, asked how she has approached her family ties in her campaign, said “what helps me in this race is that New Hampshire has always been my home.” She has emphasized — in her campaign and in an interview — her local service as a member of the Portsmouth City Council and the Portsmouth Police Commission, and her advocacy for advancing medical research after her oldest daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anybody that my mom is supporting my candidacy and this campaign. Voters certainly understand that,” Shaheen said.

But “my job is to demonstrate what I’m going to fight for and why I’m the best person to be fighting, and that’s based on my own record of experience," she said. "It’s my name on the ballot.”

The senator, in a statement, also emphasized her daughter’s local roots and service: “She’s working hard to earn voters’ support in her own right and on her own merits — and I couldn’t be prouder to support her candidacy.”

Tuesday’s primary is the latest contest this year featuring a scion of a prominent political family. The results are mixed: Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) just won a special primary to keep her late brother’s Senate seat. In Maine, former state House Speaker Hannah Pingree, the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), won the Democratic nomination for governor — defeating Sen. Angus King’s (I-Maine) son in the process. In New York, Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg lost a crowded open House primary. In Illinois, Rep. Jonathan Jackson is on to November, while his brother’s comeback bid failed.

And it’s the latest test of whether Democrats’ anti-establishment fervor extends to offspring.

Several of Shaheen’s allies argued she’s forged a distinct path from her parents (her father, Billy Shaheen, is also a major Democratic political player). Shaheen publicly objectedto the deal the senator helped broker to end last fall’s government shutdown. But she also said her mom — who was also the first woman elected governor of New Hampshire — does come up on the trail, and the two do discuss her campaign.

Her main rival for the nomination, Maura Sullivan, has repeatedly suggested her opponent has benefited from her family name. VoteVets, a group that works to elect Democratic veterans and is backing Sullivan, a former Marine, ran an ad saying: “Political dynasties think they’re entitled to your vote. Not this year. Maura earns it.”

Shaheen has in turn accused Sullivan of accepting campaign contributions from donors with ties to two controversial groups, Palantir and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and for having the bulk of her money come in from out of state. Sullivan said “AIPAC is not supporting my campaign” and the Palantir-linked contributors are “longtime friends.”

“My campaign is about service, not succession. And it’s about change, not more of the same,” Sullivan, a vice chair of the state Democratic Party, said in an interview.

Recent polls have shown Shaheen and Sullivan effectively tied, with the latter having a slight edge. Progressive Carleigh Beriont has gained late momentum and could play spoiler in a race.

It’s not the only dynastic test on the ballot Tuesday, and the other was also made possible by Jeanne Shaheen. Former Sen. John E. Sununu, the brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu and son of former Gov. John H. Sununu, has led handily in primary polling as he hopes to advance from the GOP contest against former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and vie to reclaim the seat Jeanne Shaheen ousted him from in 2008.

On the Democratic side, Pappas is facing off against progressive first-time candidate Karishma Manzur, whose late surge in a University of New Hampshire survey has raised eyebrows among Democratic insiders. Pappas’ campaign released an internal poll last week showing him with a yawning lead, and he holds a massive cash advantage over his rival.