Trusts managed by retiring Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s husband acquired properties on Florida’s Gulf Coast prior to the senator’s retirement announcement, property records show.
Shaheen announced she would not seek reelection in a video posted to social media Wednesday morning. The announcement from the 78 year-old senator came after the New Hampshire Democrat faced intense speculation about whether she would retire instead of seeking a fourth term.
Multiple trusts managed by William Shaheen, the senator’s husband of more than five decades, put a house up for sale and acquired two additional properties totaling more than $3.5 million in Longboat Key, Florida, from March 2024 to November 2024, according to public records reviewed by the DCNF.
The senator’s husband founded a private law firm, Shaheen & Gordon, in 1981 where he continues to practice as senior counsel. His practice areas include personal injury, workers’ compensation, and trusts, estates and guardianships, according to the firm’s website.
The residences owned by the Shaheen trusts in the “snowbird” haven, including one in a “peaceful, quiet retirement community” are located in a city where nearly 70% of the residents are 65 years of age or older, according to the latest census data. The region, roughly 1500 miles from New Hampshire, is one of the most popular destinations for retirees in the United States.
A trust under William Shaheen’s name with the title Old Parchment Revocable Trust purchased a $2.18 million condo in a luxury building overlooking the Sarasota Bay on March 18, 2024, according to a DCNF review of property records.
Three days later, a different trust under his name incorporated as Al Bill Reliable Revocable Trust of 2019, listed a villa in a retirement community for sale on March 21, 2024. The villa in the 55-plus retirement community stayed on the market for roughly 250 days, but was delisted less than three weeks after the Nov. 5 election. The property was still listed as being off the market at the time of writing.
The Al Bill trust acquired the property along the newly-named Gulf of America in August 2019 for $399,000 and it underwent renovations beginning in March 2023. The community is “tailored to meet the needs and preferences of its older residents and “designed with active seniors in mind,” according to realtor descriptions of the neighborhood.
A month later on April 25, 2024, the Old Parchment trust acquired another unit in the same condominium development tower for $1.385 million.
A spokesperson for the senator did not respond to the DCNF’s multiple requests for comment about the trust’s management of real estate in Longboat Key and whether the senator’s looming reelection decision influenced the trusts’ attempted sale and acquisitions.
Shaheen would have been 85 at the end of another six-year term in January 2033, making her older than all but one senator in the upper chamber today.
New Hampshire voters are concerned about how Shaheen’s age would have impacted her ability to continue serving in the upper chamber, according to recent polling.
Roughly 60% of New Hampshire residents say they are concerned that Shaheen’s age would impact her ability to serve for a fourth term, according to a survey of 626 registered voters conducted by Praecones Analytica for NHJournal between Feb. 26 and March 1. Just over 16% of voters told the pollster they were “not concerned at all” about the senator’s age.
MSNBC Host Chris Hayes criticized Shaheen for considering a run for a fourth term in December.
“Democrats are not taking this [age] issue seriously, and they need to,” Hayes said during a Dec. 17 “All In with Chris Hayes” episode. “[T]his is nothing against Shaheen personally. But according to Pew Research Center polling from just last year, 79% of Americans support age limits for politicians in Washington.”
Shaheen’s lackluster fundraising has also fueled speculation that New Hampshire’s senior senator could retire. She raised roughly $170,000 in the fourth quarter and ended 2024 with less than $1.5 million on hand.
Shaheen becomes the third Democratic incumbent representing a competitive state to not seek reelection in 2026.
Democratic Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Tina Smith of Minnesota announced they would not seek reelection earlier this year.
“Another one!” National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Tim Scott of South Carolina said following Shaheen’s retirement announcement. “Shaheen’s retirement is welcome news for Granite Staters eager for new leadership. New Hampshire has a proud tradition of electing common-sense Republicans — and will do so again in 2026!”
Republicans are favored to retain control of the chamber for at least another two years given their current 53-47 majority and potential flip opportunities in Georgia, Michigan and other competitive states such as New Hampshire. Shaheen’s retirement announcement will likely put the open seat in play for Senate Republicans during the 2026 midterms.
Shaheen was expected to face a strong GOP challenger if she had decided to seek a fourth term. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who lost to Shaheen in New Hampshire’s 2014 Senate race, and former Republican Governor Chris Sununu have not ruled out running for the seat.
Sununu, who left office with a favorable approval rating, bested Shaheen by nearly ten points in a hypothetical matchup, according to the NH Journal poll.
Sununu told the Washington Times he is not closing the door on a potential run, calling Shaheen “very vulnerable and very beatable” in an interview published Tuesday.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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