Lily Tang Williams, a former chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado and past Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, has won the Republican nomination for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, making it the second time she has become the GOP nominee for the seat.
The New Hampshire Secretary of State has yet to certify the results of the race as of this article’s original publication; however, the Associated Press called the race for Williams shortly after polls closed Tuesday. As of the AP’s most recent count, Williams captured 31,098 votes, or roughly 65 percent, putting her far ahead of Dan Nicholson, who placed second with 6,409 votes.
According to her campaign site, Williams was born in China’s Sichuan province and grew up during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. She later studied law and became an assistant law professor at Fudan University in Shanghai before moving to the United States for graduate study. Williams later earned a master’s degree in social work and now owns a business in addition to working as a professional speaker and expert witness on cases related to China.
Before relocating to New Hampshire, Williams was active in Colorado libertarian politics. She served as chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado from 2015 to 2016 and was the party’s U.S. Senate nominee in 2016 after previously running as a Libertarian for the Colorado House in 2014. Williams moved to New Hampshire in 2019 as part of the Free State Project and has since sought office in the state as a Republican.
This is Williams’ third bid for the Republican nomination in the district and the second time she has won it. She first ran in 2022, finishing third with 15,729 votes. Two years later, Williams won the nomination in a much more divided field of 13 candidates, receiving 21,972 votes, or 35.8 percent. Her 2026 primary featured only four candidates, including herself.
Following her 2024 primary victory, the now-disaffiliated Libertarian Party of New Hampshire praised Williams, calling her nomination a “tremendous opportunity to send a second libertarian to Congress.” The party also criticized Libertarians who objected to her running as a Republican, saying at the time, “If you’re so dedicated to the Libertarian Party that you’re upset this amazing woman is winning now that she’s a Republican, we don’t want you.”
Williams ultimately lost the 2024 general election to Democrat Maggie Goodlander by just under six points, with Goodlander earning 211,641 votes to Williams’ 187,810. The two will face each other again this November after Goodlander also secured the Democratic nomination for another term.
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