Incumbent State Reps. Jonah Wheeler and Peter Leishman will return to Concord this winter, defeating write-in candidate Amanda Allen and Republican nominee Kimberly Thomas.
After an elaborate write-in campaign by Allen, Wheeler won by 799 votes.
Wheeler received 1,930 votes, while Allen received 1,131. Incumbent Leishman received 2,424 votes, securing his 14th term at the capital.
“I feel good,” Wheeler said. “Peterborough is a beautiful community, as is Sharon, and I’m looking forward to serving them in the State House of Representatives.”
Allen launched her campaign 13 days before the September primary election and lost to Wheeler by 19 votes, with approximately 40% of registered voters participating in Peterborough and Sharon.
After losing a recount that stemmed from voter confusion over the requirement to write Allen’s full name on the ballot, Allen decided to continue her write-in campaign for November’s general election.
Ultimately, Wheeler maintained broad support despite Allen’s campaign against his voting record, which she argues did not reflect the district’s Democratic majority.
“I’m feeling really proud of my team and what we were able to accomplish,” Allen said. “Over a thousand people … deliberately showed up today and wrote down my name, and that sends the message that we hoped to send when we first decided to launch this campaign.”