News that U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will not seek re-election in 2026 is widely regarded as a serious blow to Democratic hopes of retaking control of that chamber, where Republicans now hold a 53-47 majority.

Maybe it is; maybe not. More about that later.

But first, let’s give Shaheen her due as a ground-breaker. She has held elected office for nearly 30 years, and was the first woman elected governor of New Hampshire and the first woman in the nation to serve as both a governor and a U.S. senator. As the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she now plays a pivotal role in oversight of foreign policy.

Still, the senator recognized, as so many of her contemporaries have failed to do, that the moment calls for a changing of the guard. “It’s important for New Hampshire and the country to have a new generation of leadership,” said Shaheen, who is 78 years old. “It’s just time.”

We agree and can only hope that more of the geriatric caucus among elected officials take her message to heart.

Notable in her three terms in the Senate has been Shaheen’s commitment to bipartisanship, including close cooperation with Republican colleagues on foreign affairs. The Almanac of American Politics also highlights her long collaboration with then-Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, on energy efficiency legislation. In short, she has walked the walk when it comes to the need for members of Congress to work across the aisle.

Her Senate legacy will also include unwavering support for Ukraine and America’s European allies in the face of Russian aggression. In noting President Trump’s attempt at diplomatic outreach earlier this month, Shaheen said, “I would urge him not to be fooled by Vladimir Putin’s false flattery or manipulative tactics. Vladimir Putin used President Trump’s first term to continue Russia’s bloody offensive in Ukraine’s East while planning for an even broader expansion into Ukraine’s sovereign territory, which came in 2022. No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians, but a peace without adequate security guarantees for Ukraine is no peace at all.”

This kind of clear-sighted, tough-minded thinking is sorely needed as Republicans in Congress roll over while Trump sells out our allies. We hope Shaheen, now further liberated by her decision not to seek re-election, will turn up the heat on the administration across the board.

Critics, including the editors of this page, have not always been fans of Shaheen’s brand of cautious moderation (although it must be acknowledged that it has broad appeal in purple New Hampshire). In particular, as governor, she failed to rise to the occasion after the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s decisions in the Claremont school funding cases. While she cast about for a funding source that didn’t involve an income tax, which the Legislature was on the cusp of enacting, the moment passed, thus consigning generations of New Hampshire schoolchildren to an education inadequately funded by the state, in plain contravention of the Supreme Court’s ruling, and unduly burdening taxpayers in property poor school districts. It was not her finest hour, although expansion of public kindergarten on her watch lessened the sting.

The senator was considered a shoo-in for re-election had she sought a fourth term, and Republicans are naturally delighted that she will not do so. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, leader of Senate Republicans campaign apparatus, exulted that, “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.”

Not so fast, Sen. Scott. Yes, the Republicans have two potentially attractive choices in former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown, now a New Hampshire resident, and former governor Chris Sununu, who seems to be wavering from his stated lack of interest in the job.

But New Hampshire voters have not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2010, even though they apparently prefer to keep the Statehouse in Concord in Republican hands.

And by next year, the political headwinds may be blowing in the Republican direction as they try to perform damage control on the havoc wrought by Trump and Elon Musk. One can imagine thousands of potential Republican voters defecting in protest of cuts in Social Security, education and the veterans health care system, among other depredations.

We would also note that Shaheen got her start behind the scenes in politics by helping to engineer New Hampshire primary victories by a couple of longshot candidates named Jimmy Carter and Gary Hart. She has won a lot of elections over the years and, to our belief, retains formidable political resources to back whatever Democratic candidate emerges to succeed her. We doubt very much that her retirement from the Senate spells the end of an influential public life.