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OVERVIEW: Last night, New Hampshire Democrats once again bucked national trends and won big in town elections throughout the Granite State. From the North Country to the Seacoast, voters came out in droves to carry Granite State Democrats to victory. Coming on the heels of Democrats’ overwhelming wins in last year’s municipal elections and three consecutive special elections wins, it’s clear that New Hampshire Democrats are continuing to build the momentum to win big this November.
Voters Overwhelmingly Rejected the Big Lie and Choose to Protect Democracy
In all ten towns with warrant articles that would have eliminated voting machines — Alton, Goffstown, Hampton, Hudson, Kensington, Milton, Raymond, Rye, Salem, Windham — voters uniformly rejected the Big Lie, the notion that New Hampshire’s elections are not secure, and extremist Republican attempts to undermine our democracy.
These resounding victories came even as radical, far-right organizations were caught sending illegal mailers to voters ahead of yesterday’s elections that called for the elimination of voting machines.
Granite State voters uniformly rejected the Big Lie and the notion that our elections are rigged. Our democracy will not be defeated, and Granite State Democrats are fighting to ensure that.
Democrats Won Big in Deep Red Territory
Democrats swept into offices like Selectboard, Town Moderator, and Budget Committee in towns like Goffstown, Gilford, Salem, and Bedford — all historically deep red towns.
Democrats won big all over the state, even in deep red territory, because voters recognize the need for elected officials that believe in supporting public schools, lowering property taxes, and rejecting extremism. Democratic candidates were the clear choice for voters as Republicans at all levels ran on increasing property taxes through a school voucher program, dismantling essential community services, and attacking New Hampshire’s elections.
A Historic Number of Young People Elected Up and Down the Ballot
Over 45 young Democrats across the state in towns like Exeter, Londonderry, Milford, and Bedford were elected to local office. These candidates ran on supporting public education, lowering property taxes, and opposing Republicans' school voucher schemes — and they defeated the NH GOP's extreme anti-public education candidates.
Candidates for school board in towns like Brookline, Gilford, Bedford, and Alton beat far right extremist candidates who were backed by outside dark money supporting an anti-public education agenda.
New Hampshire Democrats Continue to Buck National Trends
In cycles that are not favorable to Democrats nationally, New Hampshire Democrats have consistently outperformed national trends and won.
Last year, Democrats won special elections in a blue district, purple district, and deep red district. For example, in September, Representative Catherine Rombeau flipped a R+5 district with a 12% GOP registration advantage. This was the first legislative special election red-to-blue flip in the country.
Last November, when Democrats nationally underperformed, Granite State Democrats swept the municipal elections. Whether it was key mayoral victories in Manchester – the state’s biggest city, or Laconia – one of the state’s reddest cities, or a key red-to-blue flip in Portsmouth, Democrats in New Hampshire delivered victories up and down the ballot in 2021. With last night’s Town Meeting Day victories, Granite State Democrats continue to show that, no matter national trends, we will continue to win races up and down the ticket — even in tough years for Democrats.
Key Takeaways:
Democrats are continuing to win big all over the state because voters are turning out in support of funding public education, protecting reproductive rights, lowering property taxes, and protecting democracy. These results show clear and strong momentum for the 2022 midterm elections.
Granite Staters are rejecting and will continue to reject Sununu and the NH GOP’s anti-choice, anti-public school agenda — and the Big Lie.
Last night’s overwhelming victories across the state show how much momentum Granite State Democrats have going into November’s elections. 2022 is going to be chock full of victories for Democrats all over the Granite State.