New Hampshire House Races 2026: Congressional Districts
Chris Pappas (NH-1) Lean D · Maggie Goodlander (NH-2) Lean D · Opioid crisis · No income tax state
New Hampshire House 2026 — Key Numbers
Competitive Districts — Race Profiles
New Hampshire House 2026 — Analysis
America’s Most Competitive Small State
New Hampshire is the most competitive small state in the country. It has swung between parties at the presidential level, holds the nation’s first-in-the-nation primary which makes it a permanent focus of national attention, and has a unique libertarian political culture captured by its state motto “Live Free or Die.” The state’s southern tier has been growing as Boston workers seek cheaper housing, bringing more Democratic-leaning professionals into the electoral mix. The northern and western parts of the state remain more rural and more Republican-leaning. Both House districts span enough of both worlds to be genuinely competitive.
Republican Targets: Both NH Seats
The NRCC will target both New Hampshire seats in 2026. NH-2 is particularly interesting: Maggie Goodlander is a first-term member who won a competitive open seat race in 2024 after Ann Kuster’s retirement. As a freshman without the deep constituent ties that Kuster built over more than a decade, Goodlander is more vulnerable than a long-serving incumbent would be. NH-1’s Pappas has more institutional strength from multiple terms, but the district’s competitive nature means Republicans will always field credible candidates here. The combination of both seats being competitive makes New Hampshire one of the highest-investment states for both parties’ House campaign committees.
Opioids, Housing, and the NH Economy
New Hampshire has consistently ranked among states with the highest opioid overdose death rates, creating a bipartisan policy priority that both Pappas and Goodlander address. Housing affordability has become a crisis in southern NH as Boston commuters and remote workers bid up home prices beyond local median wages. The state’s no-income-tax, no-sales-tax model means local property taxes are very high and state government services are funded on a threadbare basis. Medicaid expansion (which NH has) and federal healthcare funding are important issues for the many residents whose incomes put them in federally-supported coverage categories.
