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In case you missed it, Rep. Chuck Grassie of Rochester Ward 4 defeated his special election opponent David Walker. The two tied in their race last November with both parties receiving 970 votes. Last night, Rep. Chuck Grassie won 568 votes to Walker’s 449.
Over a third of the ward’s registered voters turned out for this election, which is an incredible turnout for a State House special election.
Boston Globe: Democrat wins back his N.H. House seat in Rochester special election: ‘I need to get back to work’
Democrats picked up a seat Tuesday in the near-evenly divided New Hampshire House of Representatives, narrowing the GOP’s majority in the chamber, after voters in Rochester’s Ward 4 went back to the polls to break a tie.
But turnover is both inevitable and unpredictable in the 400-member chamber, so both sides campaigned vigorously ahead of Rochester’s runoff, as Democrats seek to flip the House, perhaps even mid-session.
Rochester City Clerk announced that Democrat incumbent Chuck Grassie will hold on to the Ward 4 seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives after a special election Tuesday.
Grassie beat Republican David Walker by 12 points or about 120 votes.
Foster's Daily Democrat: Grassie defeats Walker in Rochester election: What it means for NH House balance of power
Grassie's win reduces Republicans' razor-thin majority to 201-199. Grassie, Walker and political observers have noted the close margin means attendance by House representatives could be vital in Concord.
New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman Ray Buckley said: … “The NHDP has shown once again that we run the best special election campaigns in the state. We want to thank the incredible efforts of the House Democratic Victory Campaign Committee, our Democratic federal delegation, the Rochester City Democrats, the Strafford County Democrats, and the activists and volunteers who helped deliver this win.”
Union Leader: Grassie wins Rochester Ward 4 special election
Rochester’s Ward 4 is considered a swing district, with Democrats holding a slight edge — 30% to 26% Republican and 44% independent.
The race received special attention because of New Hampshire’s closely divided House of Representatives.