New Hampshire Senate
Maggie Hassan took which position in Mar 2006?
Maggie Hassan Margaret Coldwell Hassan ( ; née Wood ; born February 27 , 1958 ) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from New Hampshire . A Democrat , Hassan was elected to the Senate in 2016 while she was serving as the 81st governor of New Hampshire , an office she held from 2013 to 2017 . Born in Boston , Massachusetts , Hassan is a graduate of Brown University and earned a J.D . from the Northeastern University School of Law . After graduating from law school in 1985 , she worked at the law firm Palmer and Dodge . She later worked as associate general counsel for Brigham and Women’s Hospital . Hassan first ran for the New Hampshire Senate in 2002 after Democratic Party leaders recruited her . She lost to incumbent Senator Russell Prescott but ran against Prescott again in 2004 and won . Hassan was elected to a total of three two-year terms , representing New Hampshires 23rd district from January 2005 to December 2010 . She became the Majority Leader in the State Senate in 2008 before losing reelection in a 2010 rematch with Prescott . Hassan declared her candidacy for governor in October 2011 . She defeated former State Senator Jacalyn Cilley in the Democratic primary and faced the Republican nominee , attorney Ovide M . Lamontagne , in the general election . Hassan won with 55% of the vote , becoming the states second female governor . She was reelected in 2014 . After becoming governor , Hassan was elected vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association and served as a superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention . In 2016 , Hassan ran for the U.S . Senate and narrowly defeated Kelly Ayotte , the Republican incumbent , by about a thousand votes ( about 0.1% of the vote ) . She is serving with Jeanne Shaheen , another former governor . Hassan and Shaheen are the only two women in American history to be elected both governor and U.S . senator . Early life and education . Hassan was born Margaret Wood in Boston , Massachusetts , the daughter of Margaret ( Byers ) and Robert Coldwell Wood , a political scientist who served as U.S . Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Lyndon Johnson administration . She has two siblings , including Tony award-winning actor Frank Wood . Wood grew up in Lincoln , Massachusetts . As a child she sang in school choirs and at church . Her parents were politically active , and Maggie collated mailers for the League of Women Voters . She attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School , Sudbury , Massachusetts , and graduated with the Class of 1976 . Wood then enrolled at Brown University , where she majored in history and graduated in 1980 with a B.A . degree . While there , she met her future husband , Thomas Hassan , also a student at the university . She received a J.D . degree from the Northeastern University School of Law in 1985 . Early career . From 1985 to 1999 , Hassan worked as an attorney . From 1985 to 1992 , she worked at the Boston law firm Palmer and Dodge . From 1993 to 1996 , Hassan was Associate General Counsel for Brigham and Womens 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 . In 1999 , then-New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen appointed her as a citizen advisor to the Advisory Committee to the Adequacy in Education and Finance Commission . New Hampshire Senate . Elections . Hassan first ran for the New Hampshire Senate in 2002 after Democratic Party leaders suggested she run . She lost to incumbent Senator Russell Prescott , 54% to 46% . In 2004 , she ran against Prescott again and won , 52% to 48% . In 2006 , she was reelected against Natalie Healy , 60% to 40% . In 2008 , she defeated Lee Quandt , 57% to 43% . 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 Hampshires 23rd district , which includes East Kingston , Exeter , Kensington , Kingston , Newfields , Newmarket , Newton , Seabrook , South Hampton and Stratham . In November 2010 , Hassan lost to Prescott in a second rematch , 53% to 47% , as Republicans regained control of both the state House and state Senate . Tenure . Hassan served on the Capital Budget Committee and the Budget Conference Committee . She helped pass the FY2008-FY2009 budget . In 2008 , Senate President Sylvia Larsen chose Hassan to serve as Senate Majority Leader , the number two position in the New Hampshire Senate . Larsen chose her for the position because she wanted someone who would fight to get the Democratic caucus to support the same agenda , at times creating friction between Hassan and her Republican colleagues . During her tenure as majority leader , Hassan had a major role in legalizing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire . She presented three versions of a same-sex marriage bill , one of which narrowly gained enough support to pass both chambers . Hassan helped pass the FY2010-FY2011 budget . This budget increased spending by over a billion dollars and contained 33 tax and fee increases , including taxing campsites like hotel rooms , a so-called income tax on New Hampshire business , and raising vehicle registration fees . Committee assignments . - Capital Budget Committee - Commerce , Labor and Consumer Protection - Finance - Public and Municipal Affairs ( Chair ) - Energy , Environment , and Economic Development ( Vice Chair ) - Internal Affairs Committee - Executive Department and Administration Committee Governor of New Hampshire . Elections . 2012 . In October 2011 , Hassan announced her candidacy for governor of New Hampshire . She won the Democratic primary with 53% of the vote , defeating former state senator Jacalyn Cilley , who received 39% . Hassan was endorsed by former U.S . President Bill Clinton . Campaign themes included implementing the Affordable Care Act . In the general election , Hassan defeated Republican nominee Ovide M . Lamontagne , 55% to 43% , carrying every county in the state . Matt Burgess managed her campaign and senior consultants included media consultant Joe Slade White . Independent expenditure groups spent more than $11 million on Hassans behalf . Major financial support for her campaign came from the Washington , D.C.-based Democratic Governors Association , the Service Employees International Union , the American Federation of State , County and Municipal Employees , and the National Education Association . 2014 . In June 2014 , Hassan filed to run for reelection . She defeated Ian Freeman in the September 9 Democratic primary and Republican nominee Walt Havenstein in the general election , 52% to 48% . Hassan carried 7 of 10 counties . Return of campaign donations . 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 . 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 as a political committee . Tenure . Hassan was sworn in as governor for a two-year term on January 3 , 2013 . In December 2013 , she was elected vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association . That year , Hassan signed a bill creating a state sea level rise commission . 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 . In July 2015 , Hassan vetoed a bill that would have removed the licensing requirement for carrying concealed firearms in the state . In response to New Hampshires opioid crisis , she appointed Jack Wozmak the states drug czar in early 2015 . He resigned one year later in response to complaints about his job performance . Hassan also worked to preserve funding for Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the state . She resigned as governor at the end of January 2 , 2017 , to prepare for her swearing-in to the U.S . Senate . Senate president Chuck Morse became acting governor . U.S . Senate . Elections . 2016 . On October 5 , 2015 , Hassan announced her candidacy for the U.S . Senate in 2016 . She challenged incumbent Republican U.S . Senator Kelly Ayotte . The race was considered one of the most competitive U.S . Senate races of the year . Hassan was endorsed by the pro-choice Democratic political action committee EMILYs List , which also backed her two gubernatorial runs . Hassan endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary . She said climate change and reproductive rights would be her top priorities if she were elected to the Senate . On November 9 , the day after Election Day , Hassan was declared the winner . Ayotte conceded that evening , choosing not to pursue a recount . 2022 . Hassan has announced that she will run for reelection in 2022 . Tenure . 116th Congress ( 2019–2021 ) . Hassan participated in a bipartisan Trump administration taskforce to support the reopening of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic Hassan was in the Senate chamber on January 6 , 2021 , for the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supporters stormed the U.S . Capitol . After the Capitol was breached by rioters , Hassan , along with staff and other senators , was removed from the chambers to an undisclosed location . Hassan called the event traumatizing , calling it an insurrection and one of the grimmest days in the history of our country . The following day , she called for Trump to resign , calling him unfit for office . She also called for an investigation into the lack of security , poor law enforcement response , and how law enforcement treated the Trump supporters , which contrasted with the treatment of Black Lives Matter protestors . Committee assignments . - Committee on Finance - Committee on Health , Education , Labor and Pensions - Subcommittee on Children and Families - Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security - Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management - Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management - Joint Economic Committee Controversies . On June 19 , 2018 , a congressional intern was caught on video yelling , “Mr . President , fuck you!” , as Trump walked through the United States Capitol for a meeting with Republican congressmen . On June 25 , Hassans office confirmed that a Hassan intern , Caitlin Marriott , was the person caught on video swearing at Trump . A Hassan spokesperson confirmed that Marriott had been suspended from her position for a week and was required to return her congressional intern ID badge . Hassan refused demands that she fire Marriott . In 2019 , former Hassan staffers Jackson Cosko and Samantha Davis pleaded guilty to federal crimes . Cosko pleaded guilty to five felonies ; following his termination from Hassans staff , he illegally accessed Senate computers , obtained personal information about five Republican senators , and disseminated that personal information online because he was angry about the senators roles in the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States . In June 2019 , Cosko was sentenced to four years in prison . Davis pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors in July 2019 , acknowledging that she had given Cosko access to Hassans Senate office after he was fired and had lied to investigators about it . Political positions . Firearms . Hassan has a D rating from the National Rifle Association ( NRA ) . She supports a background check system to avoid gun sales to the mentally ill . She was supported by Gabby Giffords and Michael Bloomberg in the 2016 election . In March 2018 , Hassan was one of ten senators to sign a letter to Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Health , Education , Labor and Pensions Lamar Alexander and ranking Democrat Patty Murray requesting they schedule a hearing on the causes and remedies of mass shootings in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting . Journalism . In July 2019 , Hassan cosponsored the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act , a bill introduced by Ben Cardin and Rob Portman that would create a new memorial that would be privately funded and constructed on federal lands within Washington , D.C . to honor journalists , photographers , and broadcasters who have died in the line of duty . Marijuana . As governor , Hassan signed legislation that legalized medical marijuana but opposed efforts to legalize recreational possession . As of 2020 , NORML , an organization that seeks legalization , gave Hassan a C- score as a U.S . senator due to her actions as governor . Minimum wage . On February 3 , 2021 , Hassan announced she opposes raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour as proposed in President Bidens American Rescue Plan legislation . On March 5 , 2021 , she and seven other Democratic senators voted with Republicans to block raising the minimum wage as part of the legislation . Illegal immigration . On February 4 , 2021 , Hassan and seven other Democrats voted with Republicans to approve an amendment aimed at keeping illegal immigrants from receiving any COVID-19 pandemic-related assistance . Asian American hate crimes . On April 22 , 2021 , Hassan voted for S.937 , the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act , which passed with bipartisan support on a vote of 94 to 1 ( 5 not voting ) . But along with most Senate Democrats , she voted against S.Amdt.1446 to S.Amdt.1445 , which would have prohibited federal funding to any institution of higher education that discriminates against Asian Americans in recruitment , applicant review , or admissions . Personal life . Hassans husband , Thomas , was principal of Phillips Exeter Academy from 2008 to 2015 , and as of 2016 is the president of School Year Abroad . When he was principal , the Hassans did not live in the Governors Mansion , instead living in a colonial mansion on the school campus provided to them as part of her husbands employment . In 2016 , The Association of Boarding Schools censured Thomas Hassan for failing to disclose sexual misconduct of a former teacher at Phillips Exeter . After he left his position at Phillips Exeter , the Hassans bought and moved into a home in Newfields , New Hampshire . Hassan has two adult children , the older of whom , Ben , has cerebral palsy . She is a member of the United Church of Christ . Hassan has received honorary doctorates from the University of New Hampshire ( 2013 ) , Northeastern University ( 2013 ) , Southern New Hampshire University ( 2014 ) , New Hampshire Institute of Art ( 2015 ) , New England College ( 2016 ) , and UNH School of Law ( 2017 ) .