Nichelle Zaino and Nicholas Duquet walked out of Antrim Town Hall early on Election Day with “I Voted” stickers donned and muffins in hand. The couple voted together before parting ways for work.
Both said they cast their ballots for Democrats because they want to support public services like education, transportation infrastructure and more.
Duquet said he’s an Independent but tends to lean left. He echoed the sentiments of many Democratic voters, who said a blue vote felt like the only way to change the country’s course with soaring gas prices and affordability out of reach.
“It’s like every time you feel like you get out of that one hole, you trip and fall into another one,” Duquet said. “Whether it’s another housing market recession, war … it always seems like it’s stumbling uphill.”
But their qualms with the direction of the country extended beyond high prices.
“A lot of it is just an indictment of the presidency and what’s happening,” Zaino said. “It’s like, if you’re still a Republican at this point and you’re still with this insanity that’s going on, I’m not voting for you.”
Not all New Hampshire voters went Democrat. Phil Weigale of Lyndeborough skewed Republican, with his key issue being the town’s relationship with the state legislature. With his vote, he wanted to send a message to the town’s elected officials to stand up to the state.
“Republican all the way,” Weigale said. “The alternative doesn’t hold water.”
Voters across New Hampshire, however, showed a swell of support for Democrats nationally and statewide.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas turned out an early victory, adding another major title to his political résumé by defeating Republican challenger John E. Sununu in the U.S. Senate race.
Sununu conceded at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, with Pappas holding a roughly 14-point lead on Wednesday morning.
Speaking to supporters at his family’s restaurant, the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, Pappas sought to send a unifying message.
“Whether you’re a Republican, an independent, or a Democrat, tonight’s victory is for you, because this is a victory for team New Hampshire over the broken status quo that is hurting all of us just the same,” Pappas said.
Pappas is the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate, though he has hardly touched on that during the campaign and did not address it directly in his victory speech.
The Democratic crowd erupted in cheers as they watched Sununu deliver his concession speech.
“It is not our night,” Sununu told a crowd of about 100 at the McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester. Even in a swing state like New Hampshire and with the dynastic family name behind him, Sununu could not overcome the swell of support for Democrats across the country.
The race could tip the balance of power in Washington for the next two years.
New Hampshire was one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races, with Democrats needing a net gain of at least four seats in Tuesday’s midterms to take back the chamber from Republicans.
Pappas was seen early on as the heir apparent to retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. He built his campaign on four terms in the U.S. House, centering it on lowering costs, addressing the housing crisis and rooting out corporate and political corruption. He pitched himself as the candidate who would “challenge the broken ways of Washington.”
Pappas was first elected to Congress in 2018. Before that, he served on the state Executive Council and spent four years in the New Hampshire House.
Sununu previously held the seat for one term, from 2003 until he lost to Shaheen in 2008. Before that, he served in the U.S. House from 1997 to 2003. He campaigned on his record on privacy rights and on cutting taxes and regulations. Since leaving office, he has worked in the private sector and served on corporate boards.
New Hampshire voters haven’t elected a Republican to Congress since 2010. They also have voted for Democrats for president since 2004, though Republicans have dominated at the state level in recent years. With the win, Pappas will become the first openly gay male U.S. senator.
“Tonight, voters in New Hampshire and all across the country simply have had enough, and are demanding a change in direction,” Pappas said. “I’m ready to fight with everything I’ve got.”
Ayotte wins reelection
Gov. Kelly Ayotte will serve another two years in Concord after fending off a challenge from Democrat Cinde Warmington.
The Associated Press called the race at 12:42 a.m. on Wednesday, with Ayotte holding 51.1% of the vote and a roughly 22,000-vote lead as of 10 a.m.
“I want to thank the people of New Hampshire for our victory last night and the opportunity to continue the work of keeping our state safe, prosperous and free,” Ayotte said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I promise to work tirelessly to ensure that we defend the New Hampshire Advantage and keep working to solve our housing crisis, make childcare more affordable and bring down energy prices.”
Many Republican voters anticipated a smooth and easy reelection for Ayotte, but the lead shifted back and forth between Ayotte and Warmington early on Tuesday evening.
As the hours ticked by, Ayotte began to pull away. Ultimately, she survived a blue wave that swept the country and New Hampshire and handed Democrats control of Congress. Many of New Hampshire’s legislative races were still too close to call as of Wednesday morning, though the New Hampshire Democratic Party claimed victories in the House, Senate and Executive Council.
In her first term, Ayotte focused on boosting retirement benefits for law enforcement and lifting regulations to spur development. She also directed funding to education and mental health. She has largely steered clear of publicly criticizing Trump, usually raising issues with the White House privately and acknowledging them only after they’re resolved.
Ayotte swayed some Democratic voters, like Dan and Carol Wolfson in Lyndeborough, who said she’s done a good job as governor and approved of her as a senator beforehand. They weren’t swayed by Warmington’s campaign.
Democrats were relying on widespread voter frustration with Republicans and shifts in the national political climate to propel Warmington to victory. Warmington, a former member of the Executive Council, ran unopposed in the primary.
“While this isn’t the outcome that we were hoping for, I am so proud of the race we ran and the support we earned across the state,” Warmington said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I’m proud that we fought for public education, housing and health care. I’m proud that we fought against the corruption and self-dealing that has made its way to Concord from Washington. I’m proud that we fought for a more affordable New Hampshire.”
Despite Democratic enthusiasm across the board, many still saw Warmington as her party’s old guard at a moment when Democrats nationwide are demanding fresh faces. Her background also drew fire. Warmington, who has spent her career in the health care industry, was attacked over her past work lobbying for the opioid industry.
Goodlander will return to Washington
U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander is going back to Washington in a race that wasn’t very close.
The Democratic incumbent who crisscrossed the state on election day defeated Republican challenger Lily Tang Williams on Tuesday, winning a second term in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.
With a quarter of the votes tallied, Goodlander led by 59.4% to Williams’s 38.3% with Independent Robbie Mahrou taking 2.3%.
“Government is a trust, and I know whose trust it is. It is your trust,” Goodlander said. “Whether you voted for me or not, I will work for you, all of you, with all of my heart and with everything I’ve got.”
The race drew little attention next to the Senate contest between Pappas and Sununu, or even the 1st Congressional District race between Stefany Shaheen and Anthony DiLorenzo. The Democrats won both of those races.
Goodlander’s victory extended her party’s winning streak, keeping the district blue for a seventh consecutive election cycle.
Bob Meissner, a Jaffrey resident who supported Democrats on Tuesday, said he recently met Goodlander and likes her extensive government background. He called her “extremely qualified.”
“Soft-spoken, caring, alert,” Meissner said.
In two years in Congress, Goodlander has cast herself as a pro-democracy fighter and a sharp critic of President Donald Trump. She also signed a “Promise to America” pledge that pushed back against both the far right and the far left, even as progressive Democratic candidates gained ground across the country.
Williams, of Weare, built her campaign around her experience growing up in China and her promise to carry Granite Staters’ voices to Congress. More recently, she has zeroed in on making the American dream affordable. In 2024, she ran on gun rights, border control and dismantling the Department of Education, and she was a staunch supporter of Trump.
Earlier in the day, Williams greeted voters in her hometown in a T-shirt that read “American Patriot” with her name emblazoned across it, and she wore it proudly. The shirt’s message echoed the focus of her campaign.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
