Republican Scott Brown will run for the U.S. Senate seat he lost to Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen 11 years ago.

“We need people in the United States Senate who can get the job done, and I have a proven record of doing just that,” Brown said in a campaign video released Wednesday.

Shaheen, a former governor, announced she would not run for a fourth term in March, after serving in Washington since 2008. She endorsed U.S. Representative Chris Pappas to take her seat after he announced his bid in April.

“I got into this race because Granite Staters made it clear they want a Senator grounded in their values,” Pappas said in response to Brown’s entrance to the race. “They know where I stand – taking on special interests to lower prescription drug costs, pushing to find bipartisan solutions to stop predatory companies from scamming veterans and fighting to lower taxes for small businesses and families.”

Brown, 65, of Rye, served as a United States Senator for Massachusetts from 2010 to 2013 and was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during his first administration. Brown was also a member of the National Guard for 32 years.

“I’m running for the United States Senate to restore common sense, keep our border secure, and fight for our New Hampshire values,” Brown wrote on his social media post that included his campaign video.

U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan was re-elected in 2022. New Hampshire’s congressional delegation has been composed of all Democrats since 2017 when Republican U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta lost his bid to keep his seat.

“We’ve been blessed by two great governors, Chris Sununu and Kelly Ayotte,” Brown said in his video. “But in Washington, we haven’t been represented by the right people.”

Brown said in his video that Pappas “has stood with Joe Biden as he opened the border, drove up the cost of everything, and made life just simply unaffordable.”

Pappas, 45, of Manchester, responded in a statement following Brown’s announcement.

He said Brown “stands with corporate special interests, supports efforts to strip away health care coverage from tens of thousands of Granite Staters, and backs President Trump’s reckless tariffs that New Hampshire small businesses are speaking out against every single day.”

With Pappas running for the Senate, his seat representing the First Congressional District will also be contested in 2026.

The two positions representing the Granite State are coveted by leaders of both parties who want majority control in Washington.

“Scott Brown is right that Democrats like Chris Pappas are out-of-touch with Granite Staters,” said Nick Puglia, the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s regional press secretary. “New Hampshire is in play for Republicans in 2026, and we play to win.”

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Yaa Bame can be reached at ybame@cmonitor.com