
CONCORD, NH– A swearing-in ceremony for newly elected congresswoman Maggie Goodlander was held at the Warren B. Rudman Federal Courthouse on Friday. Goodlander, a Democrat, was elected in November to the second district of New Hampshire seat previously held by Annie Kuster.
Former Governor John Lynch began the ceremony by acknowledging the family and friends of the new congresswoman and the many current and former politicians gathered in the room. Senator Maggie Hassan, Billy Shaheen (husband of Senator Shaheen), former Congressman Dick Swett, and many state representatives were in the crowd.
Lynch made a special point of acknowledging former Supreme Court Justice David Souter who was in attendance, by saying. “There is somebody I would like to acknowledge, who means a lot to me, and that’s Justice David Souter. Justice Souter, as you all know, has amazing insight into the law and how it works. What he does is think about the applicability of that law to people, and what does it mean for the average person. And I know I speak for all of us in this room, Justice Souter – we wish you were back on the Supreme Court.”
The former justice and New Hampshire native was appointed by President George H. W. Bush and served on the Supreme Court from 1990 to 2009.
Lynch then compared Souter to Congresswoman Goodlander, saying, “Maggie actually reflects a lot of the good qualities that David Souter has. She’s incredibly smart, as we all know, but she always thinks about legislation and what it means for people. She’s dedicated her entire life to public service. And she’s doing it for the right reason. She just wants to make a difference in the lives of the people. And because of her work, she hopes that the state – the world – will just be a little bit better off because of her efforts.”

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante administered the oath of office to Congresswoman Goodlander with her mother Batty Tamposi at her side. Goodlander’s husband, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, understandably could not attend due to the current demands of the final week of the Biden administration.
Goodlander delivered remarks after being sworn in. She began with an expression of gratitude for the support she received from Granite State voters, from her supporters in the room and her extended family.
“I am grateful beyond measure to you, to my fellow citizens of the greatest state in the United States of America, for placing what I think is really a sacred trust in me. It is humbling to be trusted with this responsibility. It’s an awesome one. And it’s a responsibility to fight for you, to be working for you, to be representing you and the state you love well and faithfully, as I just said in the oath, in the United States House of Representatives, the place I call ‘the people’s house’ because that’s exactly what it is,” said Goodlander.
She pointed out that her district offices in the state located in Nashua, Littleton, and Concord are open and staffed and encouraged the public to contact her offices with any issues.
Goodlander has been appointed to serve on the House Small Business Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. The first order of business for the Armed Services will be the National Defense Authorization Act, and she plans to partner with Senators Shaheen and Hassan to tackle that legislation.
The work of the Small Business Committee is also significant.
“We’ve got more than 135,000 small businesses in New Hampshire and more than 300,000 small business employees. So I’m really looking forward to fighting the good fight on the Small Business Committee, which is one of the most bipartisan in the House,” Goodlander said.
Her stated goal is to find common ground and to deliver for New Hampshire saying, “The bottom line is this: I am ready – ready to try to work with anyone, finding them wherever they may be, Republicans and Democrats alike, who will work with me to deliver for you, for the state we love. And the final thing I want to say about the oath and about the way I’m approaching this job is I think you’ve given me a clear directive, which is to cut through the noise, to use common sense.”