The daughter of a shoe factory manager and a church secretary, Senator Jeanne Shaheen is the first woman in American history to be elected Governor and US Senator.
She is firmly rooted in New Hampshire – she ran a small business and taught at Dover High School. Shaheen also served as director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics before running for Senate. Throughout her public service, she has been a fierce advocate for strengthening the economy and reducing the cost of health care.
As Governor, Jeanne Shaheen extended affordable health insurance coverage to tens of thousands of New Hampshire children, expanded public kindergarten, and balanced budgets without a sales or income tax. The first woman ever elected Governor of New Hampshire, she repealed a law making abortion a felony and signed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover birth control. She challenged the big utility companies to cut energy bills for consumers and small businesses, and she encouraged clean energy.