My name is Margaret Wood Hassan. Some people call me “Senator,” two very special ones call me “mom” (more on that in a second), but most just call me Maggie. You might already know a bit about me and what I stand for. If you do, I hope you’ll take a second to give even just $3 to help my campaign meet its end-of-month fundraising goal.

But no matter how much you know about me, today I want to take a moment to reintroduce myself. To that end, here are 10 things I think you should know about me.

Hi John – I’m Maggie, and I’m running in one of the top battleground Senate races of 2022.  As a part of that campaign, I wanted to share 10 things about myself with you:

1. Before I was elected anything, I was a mom: I’ve been a State Senator, Governor, and U.S. Senator, but before I began my life in public service I had my two wonderful kids – Meg and Ben. Advocating for kids like Ben, who has cerebral palsy, was part of what led me into public service in the first place. 

2. I’m one of four Margarets: My grandmother was Margaret Cooke Byers, my mother is Peggy Byers Wood, I’m Maggie Wood Hassan, and my daughter is Meg. I stand on the shoulders of each Margaret (and every woman) who came before me, and I’m committed to making a better world for young women like my own daughter Meg.

3. I am only the second woman in history to be elected both Governor and Senator: Serving New Hampshire in both roles has been the honor of a lifetime and I’m proud to share the titles of Governor and Senator with my friend and colleague Jeanne Shaheen (the first woman to be elected to both roles!). 

4. In college, I played rugby: While I’m glad that politics is only a full contact sport metaphorically, the teamwork and toughness rugby taught me are skills I carry with me to this day. 

5. I’m the daughter of a veteran: My dad, who survived the Battle of the Bulge, instilled the importance of service in me. His example has also inspired my determined, continuing advocacy for the brave men and women who, like him, have served and sacrificed for this country.

6. My dad used to ask “What are you doing for freedom today?” at the breakfast table: With that question, he instilled in us the importance of fighting for freedom every day – not just for ourselves but for those around us. Although it’s been a while since I was a girl eating cereal at that breakfast table, I still think about those values and that question to this day. 

7. I love horseback riding: While I’m not particularly interested in the proverbial political horse race (I’m focused on delivering on the issues that matter most, not the polls) I grew up riding and caring for horses.

8. I do The New York Times Mini Crossword puzzle every morning: And sometimes I even compete with my colleagues like Amy Klobuchar.

9. I’ve got a lovable dog named Chip: Chip was originally a service dog in training who joined the Hassan family after realizing he was a little too social for the job. There’s nothing I love more than taking him for a long walk on a rail trail near our home – even though he always seems to find a way to drag me off the path and into a creek…

10.  1,017 is a number I’ve got memorized: That’s how many votes we won this seat by in 2016. Without those 1,017 votes we wouldn’t have saved the ACA or passed the Inflation Reduction Act, so I’m incredibly proud of that number. But I’m also acutely aware of the fact that it’s the slimmest margin of any sitting U.S. Senator. I end with this fact because it is not just about me, it is about all of us. That razor thin margin is proof that holding this seat won’t be easy. I’ve won tough fights before but it always takes teamwork – so, John, I hope you’ll join my team today.

Now that you know a little more about me John, I hope I can count on your support. We’re coming up on a critical end-of-month fundraising deadline and if winning by just 1,017 votes taught me anything it’s that this campaign needs to be as strong as possible at every turn. Together I know that we can win, and with so much on the line this November we can’t afford to lose this seat. So please, help us win this race and keep the Senate by chipping in what you can and helping us meet this crucial goal.

With every good wish,
Maggie Hassan