Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) won her bid for re-election in the New Hampshire Senate race Tuesday. She will return to Washington, D.C., for her second term.

“Tonight the people of New Hampshire chose to put New Hampshire first. … I am so proud to once again be able to represent the people of New Hampshire in the US Senate,” Shaheen said in a victory speech.

Despite initial contestation, Republican opponent Scott Brown conceded around 11:45 p.m.

“You’ve got no business in politics unless you respect the judgment of the people,” Brown said in his concession speech. “I accept the decision of the voters.”

The New York Times reported Shaheen winning with 51.3 percent of the vote.

This is Brown’s second loss to a female candidate in two different states.

Shaheen, the first woman in the U.S. to ever be elected both governor and senator, relied on her track record in the Senate and well-practiced political machine to bring her to victory.

In New Hampshire, a state that is no stranger to swings in the national political climate, Shaheen lost her first bid for the Senate in 2002, but won a 2008 rematch against John Sununu.

During the highly competitive race, Brown framed the election as a referendum on President Obama and his policies. However, Shaheen proved successful in promoting her own voting record and service to the state.

Brown, a former Massachusetts Senator, moved across the border following his crushing defeat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren in the 2012 election, losing his bid for his first full six-year term.

He had shocked the political world in 2010 by winning a special election to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a Democrat.

Brown would have become the third person to represent multiple states in the Senate and the first since 1879 had he been victorious on Tuesday’s election.

Marie MacCune can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MarieMacCune.