National Dems hit $1M mark in bid to flip Legislature from red to blue

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Oct. 3—CONCORD — With a month to go, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) said its 18-month campaign to flip both houses of the New Hampshire Legislature has hit the $1 million mark, finishing with a spotlight on defending 11 incumbents and seven challengers in key House and Senate seat races.

This move provides another $450,000 in support in support of the New Hampshire House Democratic Victory Campaign Committee and the state Senate Democratic Caucus to break through and end Republican majorities they have held at the State House since 2020.

New Hampshire and Arizona are the only two states in the nation in which the DLCC has targeted on Nov. 5 to try and win back both legislative chambers.

The DLCC launched a similar expensive effort in 2022 that zeroed in on the House, when Democrats came within 11 votes in three districts of taking control of the 400-person House of Representatives.

The House GOP majority in that midterm election was the smallest in more than 150 years.

Former President Donald Trump’s midterm in 2018 was the last time Democrats here also won majorities in the Senate and on the five-person Executive Council.

“GOP extremism in the Granite State has reached all-time highs this year, including some of the most extreme attacks on abortion access across the entire country,” said Heather Williams, DLCC’s president.

House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, said he’s confident voters will decide keeping Republicans in charge in Concord is good for the state’s economy, their own wallets and public safety.

“We should not be surprised to see that the Democrat approach to solving the problem of their failing platform — increasing taxes, leaving criminals on the streets, and ushering in hordes of illegal immigrants — is to light even more campaign money on fire,” Osborne said in a statement.

According to campaign finance reports, the Washington-based Republican State Leadership Committee PAC has given $260,000 thus far to the New Hampshire Senate Republicans committee and $100,000 to the Committee to Elect New Hampshire House Republicans.

Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy of Manchester serves on DLCC’s national board of directors.

“Democrats running in state legislative races in New Hampshire are on a mission to protect freedoms and lower costs, and we have an incredible slate of candidates who will deliver real change for Granite Staters. The Republican trifecta has prioritized an extreme agenda that seeks to roll back our rights, is out of step with our communities, and has no place in the ‘Live Free or Die’ state,” Soucy said.

Spotlight reveals N.H. Democrats’ playbook

The spotlighted candidates reveal where state Democrats believe their chances are best prevailing in the state Senate, where Republicans now hold a 14-10 advantage and the House, with Republicans having 197 members to 191 Democrats and one independent who was elected in 2022 as a Democrat and votes consistently with that party. The other 11 House seats are vacant.

The one Senate Democratic incumbent the DLCC is targeting is two-term Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst, who is running against three-term state Rep. Tim McGough, R-Merrimack, in District 11 that includes Merrimack, Amherst, Wilton and Milford.

The three Senate challengers the group will promote are first-term Rep. Ben Ming, D-Hollis, taking on four-term Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua; retired Navy diplomat and farmer Stu Green of Andover against two-term Sen. Dan Innis, R-Bradford, and retired Air Force pilot Matt McLaughlin of Bedford in a rematch against two-term Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford.

Avard won reelection in 2022 by 688 votes, the closest of all 24 Senate races.

Chandley was in the second-tightest race and prevailed by 729 votes over former Republican Sen. Gary Daniels, R-Milford.

Daniels is running for the House from his hometown this fall.

The McLaughlin-Ricciardi race is one of the state’s most expensive with Ricciardi having already raised nearly $231,000 while McLaughlin has brought in almost $157,000.

In 2022, Ricciardi beat McLaughlin by about 1,100 votes in this sprawling district that spans from Bedford west to Hinsdale and Winchester bordering Vermont and Massachusetts, respectively.

Republican State Chairman Chris Ager said the state party, the GOP political action committees and supportive, socially and fiscally conservative interest groups, will have the resources to compete with the Democratic war chests.

“New Hampshire is the best state in the country to live in and that’s no accident — but it also makes us a target for out-of-state liberals that don’t understand or appreciate our way of life and only want to take power,” Ager said.

House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm of Manchester said this support comes at a critical time, as he seeks to become the next House speaker with a Freedom and Affordability agenda focused on abortion access and support for working families.

“This investment builds on our successful grassroots fundraising and statewide voter engagement efforts, and we’re all hands on deck with a powerful slate of candidates running across every corner of the state who want to restore common sense and bring balance back to Concord,” Wilhelm said in a statement.

In the House, this late focus is to try and pick up four more seats in Hillsborough County, working on behalf of former Rep. Marjorie Porter of Hillsborough, Judy Johnson of Goffstown, Brian Paquette of New Boston and Scott Lawrence of Milford.

Six of the 10 incumbents defended won their first term in 2022; Reps. Nancy Murphy of Merrimack, Lorrie Corey of Boscawen, Judy Lanza of Goffstown, Mark Vallone of Epping, Heath Howard of Strafford, Hope Damon of Sunapee.

Reps. Wendy Thomas of Merrimack and Catherine Rombeau of Bedford are serving their second terms.

Hal Rafter of Nottingham won a special election in 2023 while the 10th district incumbent, eight-term Rep. Chuck Grassie of Rochester, won his own special election over Republican David Walker, three months after their initial 2022 race ended in a tie following a recount.

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