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Margaret "Maggie" Hassan (ne Wood; born February 27, 1958) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party[1] who has been the current and 81st Governor of New Hampshire since January 2013, and is also U.S. Senator-elect from New Hampshire, taking office in January 2017.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Hassan is a graduate of Brown University and earned her J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law. After graduating from law school in 1985, Hassan was an attorney and healthcare executive in Boston.

Hassan first ran for the New Hampshire Senate in 2002 after Democratic Party leaders recruited her to run, as they have also done for United States Senate.[2][3] She lost to incumbent Senator Russell Prescott, but ran against Prescott again in 2004 and won.[4][5] Hassan was elected to a total of three two-year terms, representing New Hampshire's 23rd district, from January 2005 to December 2010. Hassan became the Democrat Majority Leader in the State Senate in 2008 before losing re-election in 2010.[6]

Hassan declared her candidacy for governor in October 2011. Hassan defeated former State Senator Jacalyn Cilley in the Democratic primary, and faced attorney and Republican nominee Ovide M. Lamontagne in the general election. Hassan won with 55% of the vote, becoming the second woman to be elected to the office, after fellow Democrat, and fellow U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Hassan won re-election as governor on November 4, 2014. Since becoming Governor of New Hampshire, Hassan was elected Vice Chair of the Democratic Governors Association and served as a superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention.[3]

In 2016, she ran for the U.S. Senate and unseated Kelly Ayotte, the Republican incumbent in New Hampshire.[7] She will serve with Jeanne Shaheen; both politicians have served as New Hampshire Governor prior to unseating an incumbent senator.

Hassan was born Margaret Wood in the city of Boston, Massachusetts,[8] the daughter of Margaret (Byers) and Robert Coldwell Wood, a political scientist who served as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Lyndon Johnson administration. Her brother is the Tony award-winning actor Frank Wood.[9][10]

Wood attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Sudbury, Massachusetts, and graduated with the Class of 1976. Wood earned her B.A. from Brown University in 1980. While at Brown, Wood met her future husband, Thomas Hassan, who was also a student at the university.[2] She received her J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law in 1985.[11][12]

From 1985 to 1999, Hassan worked as an attorney.[11] From 1985 to 1992, Hassan worked at the Boston, law firm, PalmerDodge Advisors. From 1993 to 1996, Hassan was Associate General Counsel for Brigham and Women's Hospital/Partners Healthcare of Boston.

In 1996, Hassan began working as an attorney for Sullivan, Weinstein and McQuay, a Boston corporate defense and business law firm.[13] In 1999, Hassan was appointed by then-Governor Jeanne Shaheen as a citizen advisor to the Advisory Committee to the Adequacy in Education and Finance Commission.[11]

Hassan first ran for the New Hampshire Senate in 2002 after Democratic Party leaders suggested she run.[2] She lost to incumbent Senator Russell Prescott 54% to 46%.[4] In 2004, she ran against Prescott again and won 52% to 48%.[14] In 2006, she won re-election against Natalie Healy 60% to 40%.[5] In 2008, she defeated Lee Quandt 57% to 43%.[15] She served as the assistant Democratic whip, president pro tempore, and majority leader of the State Senate during her six years in office. She represented New Hampshire's 23rd district, which includes the towns of East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, Kingston, Newfields, Newmarket, Newton, Seabrook, South Hampton and Stratham.

In November 2010, Hassan was defeated by Prescott in a second rematch, 53% to 47%,[16] as Republicans regained control of both the state House and state Senate.[17]

Hassan served on the Capital Budget Committee and the Budget Conference Committee.[18]

Hassan helped pass the FY2008-FY2009 budget.[19] This budget increased spending by over a billion dollars and contained thirteen tax and fee increases, including raising vehicle registration fees.[20]

During her tenure as majority leader, Hassan had a major role in legalizing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire. [21]

Hassan helped pass the FY2010-FY2011 budget.[22] This budget increased spending by over a billion dollars and contained thirty-three tax and fee increases, including taxing campsites like hotel rooms, a so-called "income tax" on New Hampshire business, and raising vehicle registration fees.[23][24]

The Nashua Telegraph has criticized higher vehicle registration fees as a misguided budgeting tactic that falls hardest on those who can least afford it.

In October 2011, Hassan announced her candidacy for governor of New Hampshire.[25] She won the Democratic primary with 53%, defeating former state senator Jacalyn Cilley, who received 39%.[26]

Hassan was also endorsed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton[27][28] Campaign themes included implementing the Affordable Care Act.[29]

In the general election, Hassan defeated Republican nominee Ovide M. Lamontagne by 55% to 43%, carrying every county in the state.[30] Her campaign was managed by Matt Burgess and senior consultants included media consultant Joe Slade White.[31]

Independent expenditure groups spent more than $11 million on Hassan's behalf. Major financial support for Hassan's election came from the Washington, D.C.-based Democratic Governor's Association, the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the National Education Association.[32]

In June 2014, Hassan filed to run for re-election.[33] She defeated Ian Freeman in the Democratic primary election on September 9, 2014, going on to defeat Republican Walt Havenstein in the general election by a margin of 52% to 48%. Hassan carried 7 of 10 counties.[34]

In August 2014, New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster, a Hassan appointee, ordered her to return $24,000 in campaign contributions that violated New Hampshire campaign finance laws.[35] In October 2014, Hassan was ordered to return another $25,000 in funds a union donated to her gubernatorial campaign because the union had not properly registered with the state a political committee.[36][undue weight? discuss]

Hassan was sworn in as Governor for a two-year term on January 3, 2013. In December 2013, she was elected as vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association.[37]

In 2013, Hassan signed a bill creating a state sea level rise commission.[38][39]

During a conflict between two sides of the Demoulas family, which owns the Market Basket grocery chain, Hassan urged the family to resolve the dispute, which threatened 9,000 jobs in New Hampshire.[40]

In July 2015, Hassan vetoed a bill that would have removed the licensing requirement for carrying concealed firearms in New Hampshire.[41]

In response to New Hampshire's opioid crisis, Hassan appointed Jack Wozmak as the state's "drug czar" in early 2015. He resigned one year later in response to complaints about his job performance.[42][43]

Hassan also worked to preserve funding for Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the state.[44]

On October 5, 2015, Hassan announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2016. She challenged incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte.[45] The race was considered one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races of the year.[46]

Hassan was endorsed by the pro-choice Democratic political action committee EMILY's List, which also backed her two gubernatorial runs.[47] Hassan endorsed Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.[48]

Hassan has said climate change and reproductive rights would be her top priorities if she were elected to the Senate.[49]

On November 9, 2016, the afternoon following election day, Hassan was declared the winner in an extremely close race.[50]

Hassan's husband, Thomas, was Principal of Phillips Exeter Academy from 2008-2015, and as of 2014 was the president-elect of School Year Abroad.[51] When Hassan's husband was Principal of Phillips Exeter Academy, the Hassans did not live in the Governor's Mansion, instead living in a colonial mansion on the Phillips Exeter campus provided to them as part of her husband's employment.[2] After Thomas Hassan left his position at Phillips Exeter Academy, the Hassans returned to their home in Exeter.[a][2][52] Hassan has two adult children, the older of whom, Ben, has cerebral palsy.[8]

Link:
Maggie Hassan - Wikipedia