NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA — New Hampshire’s governor, a U.S. senator, and its two House members sought another term during the general election Tuesday. New Hampshire's secretary of state expected record voter turnout.
Democrats were seeking to maintain their dominance of New Hampshire's congressional delegation on Tuesday while Republicans hoped to regain lost ground. Three of the four members of the all-Democratic delegation were up for reelection: U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen faced Republican Corky Messner. First District Rep. Chris Pappas faced Republican Matt Mowers, and 2nd District Rep. Annie Kuster faced Republican Steve Negron.
While the state has been represented only by Democrats in Washington for the last four years, Republicans held some of the seats before that, and the 1st District in particular had swung back and forth between the parties.
Here is a summary of key races on the ballot:
President
President Donald Trump is trying to win a state he narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016, this time facing former Vice President Joe Biden, who finished fifth in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary in February.
U.S. Senate
New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen has won a third term in the U.S. Senate. Shaheen defeated Republican Corky Messner and Libertarian Justin O'Donnell on Tuesday.
She has touted her record of working across party lines to help small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, secure funding to address the opioid crisis and improve veterans' access to health care. She contrasted her long history of public service with Messner's relatively recent arrival from Colorado, saying he lacked understanding of both her record and the state. Messner, an Army veteran and attorney, argued the state would be better served by a political outsider.
Governor
New Hampshire's Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has defeated state Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes to win a third, two-year term.
Sununu has enjoyed widespread support for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and overcame his opponent's efforts to tie him to President Donald Trump. Sununu vetoed several of Feltes' key legislative initiatives, including a paid family and medical leave bill. Feltes contrasted his working-class roots with Sununu's upbringing in a political family, and said he was running to help working families, not out of a sense of entitlement.
1st Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a freshman Democrat, is facing a challenge from Republican Matt Mowers and Libertarian Zachary Dumont. Pappas, who made history in 2018 by becoming the state’s first openly gay member of Congress, was a state lawmaker and his family runs a popular restaurant in Manchester. Mowers, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and briefly worked in his administration’s State Department, moved to New Hampshire last year. Mowers ran former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2016 presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire and was the executive director of the New Hampshire GOP from 2013 to 2015.
2nd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, a Democrat, is seeking her fifth term in office. She faces Republican challenger Steve Negron in a rematch of the 2018 race, and Libertarian Andrew Olding. Negron runs a defense consulting firm and served one term in the New Hampshire House.
Statehouse
In the Democrat-controlled Legislature, all 400 state House seats and 24 Senate seats are on the ballot. After four years of Republican control, Democrats won majorities in both chambers in 2018. Heading into the election, Democrats held 230 House seats, Republicans held 157 and there were 13 vacancies. In the Senate, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 14-10.
