On Aug. 12, Dartmouth hosted a forum for the two Democratic candidates — Colin Van Ostern Tu ’09 and Maggie Goodlander — running for New Hampshire’s second congressional district.
Around 200 people attended the event — which was co-hosted by the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, the Dartmouth Democrats and the Hanover/Lyme Town Democrats — in Filene Auditorium. Van Ostern and Goodlander announced their candidacies in March and May, respectively, and are running for the seat currently held by Rep. Annie Kuster ’78. Kuster announced her retirement on March 29, telling The Dartmouth at the time that she would use her retirement to support and fundraise for Democratic candidates across the country.
Van Ostern served two terms on the New Hampshire executive council and worked as business manager at several New Hampshire organizations, including Stonyfield Yogurt and Southern New Hampshire University, according to Dartmouth Democrats executive director and forum co-moderator Quinn Allred ’26. Van Ostern also served as campaign manager and senior adviser to Kuster, who endorsed Van Ostern’s candidacy.
Goodlander worked in the United States Senate as an adviser and speechwriter, on the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump as counsel and in the Biden administration on reproductive rights. She also served 11 years as an intelligence officer in the Navy reserve.
In her introduction, Dartmouth Democrats communications director and forum co-moderator Lucy Vitali ’26 said Goodlander and Van Ostern both have connections to Dartmouth. Goodlander taught a class on constitutional law last summer, and Van Ostern received his MBA from the Tuck School of Business. Vitali and Allred asked the candidates six questions based on a list of policy areas, ranging from housing to foreign policy, that the candidates received prior to their arrival. Candidates had two minutes each to answer the questions.
In his introduction, Van Ostern said he moved to New Hampshire 22 years ago after moving several times while growing up. He added that New Hampshire is the “first place in my life that ever felt like home.”
Goodlander emphasized her family’s connection to the state of New Hampshire, which she said goes back more than 100 years. Goodlander said she is a “lawyer by training” but an “advocate in my heart” who has “always gone where I believe I could fight the good fight.”
“The day that [Roe v. Wade was overturned] … I was at the Justice Department helping to fight back,” Goodlander said. “I’ve fought against the most powerful corporations in the world, in the frontlines in the fight against corporate monopolies.”
In response to the first question — one about reproductive freedom — both candidates affirmed their support of abortion rights.
Goodlander said the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 was a “dark day for this country.”
“Here we are in the ‘live free or die’ state, and freedom is on the ballot this fall,” Goodlander said. “This is a fight that begins in Congress but doesn’t end there. What we’re up against is the threat of a nationwide abortion ban.”
Van Ostern said he would be in favor of a national law that “protects the full range of reproduction rights,” including access to birth control, in vitro fertilization and abortion access “no matter where you live.”
The second question focused on gun violence. In their responses, both candidates said they supported assault weapons bans and universal background checks.
Van Ostern highlighted his experience as “both a gun owner and a father.” His voice caught when he recounted that his son was walking home when shots were fired during an active shooter situation in Concord in 2023.
Goodlander added that she supported a ban on bump stocks — attachments that allow guns to fire faster — and would “prioritize funding mental health.”
Both candidates had similar policies on other issues. For example, both said they supported “comprehensive immigration reform” and improved border security measures.
In response to a question about the Israel-Hamas War, both candidates agreed that a ceasefire and the return of Israeli hostages are necessary.
Van Ostern said the issue is “complicated and nuanced,” but that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “cannot continue” and requires a “two-state solution” in the long-term. He added that Israel “has a right to defend itself” and “exist.”
Goodlander — who is married to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan — said Congress has a “really important role to play” in foreign policy. She added that, if elected, she would work to implement a plan that would include an immediate ceasefire, a “surge in humanitarian assistance into Gaza” and a return of the hostages.
Both candidates said the rising cost of housing in New Hampshire was an important issue but differed on how they would go about addressing it.
Goodlander highlighted the issue of private equity firms and hedge funds buying up single family homes, the use of algorithms by corporate landlords to increase rent prices and local or state level laws that are “preventing the building of affordable homes.”
Van Ostern agreed that the cost of housing was a “huge problem” in New Hampshire and suggested using funds from the “trillions of dollars of the Trump tax cuts for the very wealthiest in this country” to fund a first-time homebuyer tax credit.
The final policy question focused on LGBTQ+ rights. Van Ostern and Goodlander agreed that they strongly opposed anti-transgender laws.
In closing, Goodlander said she is “not a professional politician or a perennial candidate” and said she went into the race “knowing that [she] was going to need to out-hustle and out-raise and out-persuade.”
“We’re running an old school New Hampshire campaign [and] we’re pounding the pavement,” Goodlander said.
Goodlander also highlighted the stakes of the election and said “democracy is on the ballot.”
Van Ostern said he has been “devoting [himself] to the people of this state” for the 22 years he has lived in New Hampshire.
He added that he does not have the “most money in the race” but had “overwhelming grassroots support” and endorsements from Democratic mayors in the district and Kuster.
In an interview after the debate, Allred said he was “proud” of how the candidates “did not tear each other down” and were both able to “personalize policy and speak narratively.”
“I was really proud of the tears that I saw in the eyes of audience members [and] the genuine laughter,” Allred said.
Former State Rep. Peter Burling, D-Cornish, said he was “delighted that we have two such wonderful candidates.”
In an interview following the debate, Goodlander said she has been to the Upper Valley “basically every week” on the campaign trail and has had “amazing conversations” with voters. She said she spoke with a veteran after the debate who is “fighting the good fight in trying to end veteran homelessness” and added that she plans to “connect up with leaders on this issue in Nashua.”
Van Ostern said one of his first campaign events was “a meeting with a dozen folks from the Dartmouth Democrats.” Van Ostern added that he heard from a “few people” who decided to support him after the event.
“The feedback that I’ve been hearing is that what stood out was that they felt like I understood what our lives are like here in New Hampshire,” Van Ostern said.
Former Dartmouth Democrats president Jayanth Uppaluri ’24 said he is still undecided on who he will vote for but was “really impressed” by both candidates.
He said he liked how Goodlander “emphasized her background” and how she has been “fighting for New Hampshire … on the national stage.” He added that he also thought it was “really cool” how Van Ostern was able to “draw all of these stories into his policy positions.”
“We’re really lucky in this district to have two awesome Democratic candidates,” Uppalari said. “No matter who ends up winning the primary, we’ll have good representation in Congress. You can’t say that in every legislative primary.”
Jayanth Uppaluri ’24 is a former Mirror writer for The Dartmouth. He was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
