Jeanne Shaheen

U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-Rochester) said that it was an honor to be sworn in for a second congressional term but added that the ceremony was marked "with a kind of soberness" because of the problems the country is facing.

"There was a lot of joy, naturally, but it was mixed in with a kind of soberness as well because we really do have quite a few problems on our plate, but the team's in place and the will to cooperate is there and I'm expecting that we're going to have a good two years," Shea-Porter said in an interview with PolitickerNH.com.

U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-Concord) said that he is looking forward to working with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) during the next congressional session.

"I am honored to have been sworn into the 111th Congress," Hodes said in a statement to PolitickerNH.com. "I also want to congratulate our new Senator Jeanne Shaheen and I look forward to working with her in this Congress."

U.S. Sens. Judd Gregg (R-Rye) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) pledged today to work together to help solve problems facing the state of New Hampshire.

Shaheen was sworn in earlier today to become New Hampshire's first female United States Senator and Gregg said that he was "honored" to be a part of the swearing in event.

Getty Images

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen with her husband Bill and Vice President Dick Cheney

Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) officially became a United States Senator when she took the oath of office shortly after noon.

Shaheen defeated U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley), now a former U.S. Senator, in November to become New Hampshire's first female U.S. Senator and first Democratic U.S. Senator in almost 30 years. Shaheen is also the first woman to be elected governor and U.S. Senator from any state.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2009

CONTACT:
Alex Reese
(202) 224-8174

JEANNE SHAHEEN SWORN IN AS U.S. SENATOR, APPOINTED TO ENERGY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEES

(Washington, D.C.) – Today at 12pm, Jeanne Shaheen was sworn in as New Hampshire’s first ever female U.S. Senator, and the first woman ever to be elected both Governor and Senator from any state.

In 2008, Granite Staters saw a presidential candidate cry on television, the defeat of an incumbent United States senator and Democrats become the majority party in a state that was once considered a bedrock of Republicanism.

All of these stories and more help make up PolitickerNH.com's top ten political stories of 2008.

CONCORD--U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-Rye) said that he is expecting to have an "excellent relationship" with U.S. Sen.-elect Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury).

Gregg said that based on previous experiences, he thinks he will be able to work with Shaheen to promote New Hampshire issues in Washington.

"I expect to have an excellent relationship with Jeanne. We had an excellent relationship when she was governor and I was senator, we worked together on a lot of projects," Gregg told reporters. "The most significant and successful being the purchase of the 175,000 acres in the North Country which we both co-chaired that initiative."

The United States Senate race between U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) and U.S. Sen.-elect Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) was the most expensive federal race in New Hampshire history, The Nashua Telegraph reported today.

Sununu and Shaheen spent a combined $16.7 million and national parties spent an additional $5 million on television ads on WMUR.

The Rothenberg Political Report reports that pre-Election Day polls that showed U.S. Sen.-elect Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) with a significant lead over U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) were proven accurate by the actual vote totals.

"While Shaheen's lead narrowed below double digits in the fall, Sununu's number remained unchanged - stuck in the low 40s. The strange December ARG survey was the only public poll in which the Senator exceeded 45 percent in a ballot test," Nathan Gonzales wrote. "In the end, Sununu lost to Shaheen 52 percent to 45 percent."