Hannah Newsom

**Hannah Michele Newsom** (born March 12, 1976) is an American politician serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Maine since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, representing the 39th district, from 2010 to 2018. Newsom is the daughter of former Maine State Senator Priscilla Newsom.

Born in Portland, Maine, Newsom was raised in the Portland suburb of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She graduated from Waynflete School in 1994, and afterwards moved to Burlington, Vermont to attend the University of Vermont, graduating with a degree in political science in 1998. After graduating, Newsom returned to Maine and began attending the University of Maine School of Law, graduating with a law degree in 2001. Newsom never practiced law, and instead began working as a political staffer in the Maine House of Representatives. She was first hired by Jennifer Snow, later becoming Snow's chief of staff in 2006. In 2008, she became the deputy chief of staff of Martha King, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Maine's 1st district. She left her job there in 2009, in order to return to Maine and begin her own political career.

In 2010, Newsom launched her campaign for the 39th district of the Maine House of Representatives. She went on to win the election, and was later reelected to subsequent terms in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Due to congressional term limits in Maine, she was unable to run for a fifth term and instead announced her candidacy for United States Senate in 2018. Newsom easily secured the Democratic nomination, and later defeated incumbent Ruth Caulfield in the general election. She was sworn in on January 3, 2019.

## Early life and family

Newsom was born on March 12, 1976 in Portland, Maine to parents Dennis (born 1944) and Priscilla Newsom (née *Roy*; born 1946). She was raised in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, an affluent suburb of Portland. At the time of her birth, both of her parents were working as attorneys. Her mother later began a political career in 1988, being elected to the Maine Senate. Newsom is of mixed English and French-Canadian descent; her father comes from a Protestant English-American family, while her mother was born in Maine to Catholic parents from Saguenay, Quebec in Canada. Newsom was raised irreligiously and monolingually in English. She is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Peter, born  (1980-02-12) February 12, 1980 (age 43).

## Education and early career

Newsom attended private schooling. She began her education in 1979 at Waynflete School, an independent coeducational nursery through twelfth school in Portland, Maine. She began high school at Waynflete in 1990, where she was a high academic achiever. In high school, Newsom was an honors student, treasurer of her class, and president of her school's chapter of the Young Democrats. She graduated from high school in 1994, and later moved to Burlington, Vermont to attend the University of Vermont. While at UVM, Newsom joined the Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ) sorority. She graduated with a degree in political science in 1998.

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Newsom returned to Maine and began attending the University of Maine School of Law. She graduated with a law degree in 2001, but did not work as a lawyer after graduating. Instead, Newsom began working as a political staffer in the Maine House of Representatives. In 2001, she was hired as deputy director of communications by Jennifer Snow, later becoming Snow's chief of staff in 2006. In 2008, she moved to Washington, D.C. and became the deputy chief of staff of Martha King, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Maine's 1st district. She left her job as a staffer in 2009, in order to return to Maine and begin her own political career.

## Political positions

*Main article: Political positions of Hannah Newsom.*

## Personal life

Newsom began a relationship with Maine House of Representatives staffer James Howard in 2005. They ended their relationship in 2008, when Newsom moved to Washington, D.C. and left Maine. After returning to Maine in 2009, Newsom and Howard continued their relationship. They became engaged in 2011, and married the following year. Newsom and Howard have one child together: Heather, born  (2015-06-03) June 3, 2015 (age 8). In 2009, Howard left his position as a staffer and founded the political consulting firm Howard-Gagnon Strategies with business partner Wayne Gagnon.

While working in D.C., Newsom resided in an apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. After returning to Maine in 2009, she moved to to the Old Port neighborhood in downtown Portland, Maine. Following their marriage, Howard moved into Newsom's apartment. After being elected to United States Senate in 2019, Newsom and Howard purchased a three-bedroom townhouse in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of D.C.