[Updated 5:17 p.m. to reflect Ayotte’s concession to Hassan]
Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. He will apparently have a Republican Senate and Congress. We’ll find out soon enough if Mr. Trump’s pro-life claims are valid.
Here are New Hampshire election results, as reported by the Secretary of State. Races not yet certified by the SoS are listed as reported at wmur.com. Candidates have until 5 p.m. on November 14 to request recounts.
Senate/Congress
In the U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte finished about a thousand votes behind Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan. Ayotte conceded the race late today.
In the Senate race, independent Aaron Day earned about 17,000 votes. A post in the Bedford Patch said that Day “surmis[ed] that his mission in the race – stopping Ayotte – had been accomplished, calling [his 17,000+ votes] ‘significant enough’ to guarantee she was not re-elected.”
In the First Congressional District, Republican Congressman Frank Guinta was unseated by former Member of Congress Carol Shea-Porter, a Democrat, in their fourth head-to-head race. Shea-Porter finished with 44% of the vote to 43% for Guinta, with the remaining votes scattered among three other candidates.
In the Second District, Democrat Ann Kuster was re-elected with 50% of the vote. Republican challenger Jim Lawrence finished with 45%, and Libertarian John Babiarz got 5%.
Governor and Council
Chris Sununu edged Colin Van Ostern, 49%-47%, to become Governor-elect. Sununu will be the first Republican elected to the corner office in over a decade. Max Abramson, the pro-life state representative who ran for governor on the Libertarian ticket, finished with 4%.
The Executive Council will have a 3-2 GOP majority once again following the re-election of Joe Kenney and David Wheeler and the election of former state senator Russell Prescott. Democrats Andru Volinsky and Chris Pappas won as well.
State Senate
Republicans finished Election Day with a 13-10 edge. District 7 is headed for a recount, with incumbent Sen. Andrew Hosmer (Democrat) now thirteen votes behind his challenger, Rep. Harold French. Hosmer survived a recount in 2014.
Newly-elected Republicans Ruth Ward and Dan Innis replace two Republicans, Jerry Little and Nancy Stiles, who usually voted pro-abortion and pro-buffer zone. It remains to be seen if Ward and Innis hold views different from those of their predecessors.
It’s great to see some veteran pro-life senators returning to Concord, and to see pro-life state reps like Bill Gannon win seats in the upper chamber.
District winners:
- Jeff Woodburn (D-incumbent)
- Bob Giuda (R-former state representative)
- Jeb Bradley (R-incumbent)
- David Watters (D-incumbent)
- Martha Hennessey (D-incumbent state representative)
- James Gray (R-incumbent state representative)
- outcome in doubt; Sen. Andrew Hosmer (D) vs. Rep. Harold French (R)
- Ruth Ward (R)
- Andy Sanborn (R-incumbent)
- Jay Kahn (D)
- Gary Daniels (R-incumbent)
- Kevin Avard (R-incumbent)
- Bette Lasky (D-incumbent)
- Sharon Carson (R-incumbent)
- Dan Feltes (D-incumbent)
- Scott McGilvray (D)
- John Reagan (R-incumbent)
- Donna Soucy (D-incumbent)
- Regina Birdsell (R-incumbent)
- Lou D’Allesandro (D-incumbent)
- Martha Fuller Clark (D-incumbent
- Chuck Morse (R-incumbent)
- Bill Gannon (R-incumbent state representative)
- Dan Innis (R)
The New Hampshire House will have a Republican majority next term. It did in 2015-16, too, when numerous pro-life bills failed to advance. House members will elect their Speaker next month, with at least two announced challengers to current Speaker Shawn Jasper.
Look for a report later this week on how the strongest pro-life reps fared in their re-election bids.
Leaven for the Loaf 