FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 5, 2020
Contact: Josh Marcus-Blank, 781-820-2479

Concord, N.H. — Jeanne Shaheen officially filed as a candidate for New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seat by mail this morning and held a virtual rally with more than 100 supporters. During the virtual rally Senator Shaheen joined Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to discuss how she is working to make a difference for all Granite Staters during the Coronavirus pandemic and how our state can work together in the fight for racial justice. Tens of thousands of Granite Staters will be voting by mail this fall due to Coronavirus, and Senator Shaheen is working to make sure that everyone can participate in democracy while staying safe.

“This is a time of great trouble and unimagined challenges here in New Hampshire and across the country,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “More than 100,000 Americans have died from a virus that was unknown and unnamed only months ago. In September, our state had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Today, nearly 1 in 6 Granite Staters are out of work. And in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, communities from coast to coast are not just reeling in pain and heartbreak, but demanding accountability and justice.”

“We can meet these difficult challenges. We can help New Hampshire come through stronger: helping small businesses, protecting health care, standing up for working families and veterans, confronting the pandemic of COVID-19 and the epidemic of opioid abuse. We know how to make a difference.”

“When the Coronavirus pandemic began, I was proud to serve my country by traveling to a field hospital in New York and helping victims of the virus,” said Amelia Keane of Nashua. “And I have been very proud to see my Senator, Jeanne Shaheen making a difference for people who are struggling during the pandemic. She has been a tireless advocate for our health care workers on the frontlines of this health care battle.”

“My store is one of thousands of small businesses in New Hampshire and, like so many others, we have been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Dan Chartrand of Exeter. “And, thanks to Senator Shaheen, my business was able to secure a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program that helped Water Street Bookstore transition to a new normal.”

“I know that Jeanne Shaheen stands with us when we say Black Lives Matter,” said NH Senator Melanie Levesque of Brookline. “We shouldn’t have to say this in 2020, but it’s more clear every day that we do. And we need to fight to make sure our government and our society knows that too. I am so grateful to have Senator Shaheen in that fight with us.”

“As a veteran, I have always appreciated how Jeanne Shaheen fights for us,” said Jim Steiner of Concord. “She has taken on the leadership of both parties to ensure that veterans get the benefits that they earned… Countless men and women across our state have access to higher quality and more accessible care because of Senator Jeanne Shaheen.”

“This is a really hard time to be in high school, but I have really appreciated Senator Shaheen’s work on behalf of students during this time, and I know she will continue to fight for us on the issues that matter most,” said President Prescott Herzog of Claremont. “Jeanne Shaheen never forgets about us, and the thousands of other Granite Staters in the Upper Valley.”

This morning, the Shaheen campaign released a video highlighting Senator Shaheen’s supporters from across New Hampshire, from Claremont to Colebrook and Salem to Somersworth.

Senator Shaheen has been endorsed by the NH AFL-CIO, representing fifty affiliated local unions and 30,000 Granite State workers, the Professional Firefighters of NH, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, End Citizens United, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). More than 7,500 Granite Staters have contributed to Senator Shaheen’s campaign, and 95% of Shaheen contributions were $100 or less. The Shaheen campaign had nearly $7.1 million cash-on-hand at the end of the first fundraising quarter of 2020.

For more information, please visit www.JeanneShaheen.org. For photos of Senator Shaheen’s filing and the recording of the virtual rally, email press@jeanneshaheen.org.

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