By Mark Hayward and Paul Feely | Nov 3, 2020
Voters favored the incumbents in New Hampshire's congressional delegation, with all three Democrats up for reelection topping their Republican challengers.
Jeanne Shaheen won a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, beating a challenge from a Republican who moved to New Hampshire two years ago and ran as a Washington outsider.
Shaheen will be joined in Washington by fellow four-term 2nd District Rep. Annie Kuster, first-term 1st District Rep. Chris Pappas and first-term senator and fellow Democract Maggie Hassan, who was not up for reelection.
Kuster faced her second consecutive challenge on the 2nd District from former Nashua state Rep. Steve Negron.
In the 1st Congressional District, Manchester restaurateur Pappas was reelected to the seat he won two years ago in the tightest of the three races. With 94 percent of the votes counted Wednesday morning, Pappas led Matt Mowers 51.6 percent to 46 percent, according to the Associated Press.
"The odds said I wouldn't be sending this email," Pappas said in a message he sent to supported shortly after 1 a.m. "A Democrat hasn't won reelection in my district in over a decade, but the votes are counted — and I'm thrilled to say that with your help, we won!"
The U.S. Senate and House races took place in an election overshadowed by the presidential contest between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden.
“In this election, it’s been more about voting for the party than the candidate,” said Leah Hoard, a college academic adviser who lived in Manchester and voted straight Democrat.
NBC called the race for Shaheen just minutes after 8 p.m., when the final polls closed in New Hampshire. As more wards and towns reported returns Tuesday night, Shaheen’s percentage of the vote reached into the high 50s.
“I always fight for New Hampshire, and I always will,” Shaheen told supporters who gathered outside at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. She said the nation was in a crisis because of the COVID-19 and a national plan is needed to get the virus under control.
“(Shaheen) has been around in New Hampshire politics for a long time. It’s pretty easy to get an idea how she’s going to act and perform,” said Ryan Chasse, a Manchester resident and outdoor educator. He said his votes for the U.S. House and Senate reflected a simple strategy — to block Trump.
Rick Misserville, a mechanic, said he voted straight Republican this time.
“It was time to do something differently,” he said. “I can’t imagine if Trump had help (in Congress) what he’d be able to do.”
The bigger prize for Shaheen would be Democratic control of the Senate, which currently numbers 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.
Shaheen, 73, has been immersed in politics for most of her life. In her early 30s she was an activist and strategist for causes such as abortion rights. She served as a state senator for four years, then governor for six and senator for 12.
“She’s been there long enough to know what’s going on. She doesn’t have to be trained,” said Muriel Ball, of Manchester, a part-time data entry clerk.
Like Trump four years ago, Republican Bryant “Corky” Messner ran as a Washington outsider. Messner, who retired and moved to the state two years ago from Colorado, earned Trump’s endorsement during the primary.
Messner was making his first run for elected office, having spent his career running a Colorado law firm. He painted himself as a Washington outsider.
“He’s honest,” said Adam Parson, 35, a computer network technician. “He didn’t seem to rub me the wrong way like all the Democrats did.”
The candidates followed their parties on issues such as Obamacare, abortion rights, immigration and gun rights.
House races
Throughout Tuesday night, one-term incumbent Pappas and Mowers, the Republican challenger Mowers were within a percentage point or two from each other as returns came in.
Late into the evening, Pappas’ hometown of Manchester had not released results. New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District often swaps out its representative, and political observers had said the race could impact which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
The current House makeup is 232 Democrats and 182 Republicans.
Pappas was elected during the 2018 midterms to replace outgoing Democrat Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who retired. He is a former member of the Executive Council and helped operate his family’s restaurant, the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester.
Mowers is a former diplomat and executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party. He served as an adviser in the Trump administration’s State Department. He was endorsed by Trump in the GOP primary.
The winner of the 1st Congressional District could wind up playing an important role on the national stage, according to Andy Smith, associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire and director of the university’s survey center.
If no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the next House would choose the next president in a contingent election based on one vote per state of the incoming Congress.
“New Hampshire could matter in that situation, as its vote ‘counts’ as much as California or Texas,” Smith said.
The fight for the 2nd Congressional District seat was a replay of the 2018 race, in which incumbent Annie Kuster defeated Republican Steve Negron, 55% to 42%.
Kuster, 63, was seeking her fifth term. Two years ago, she became the first Democrat to win a fourth straight two-year term in the 2nd Congressional District.
The race had yet to be called as of 10 p.m., but with 28 percent of precincts reporting Kuster held a sizable lead, 57% to 41%.
With 80 percent of the vote counted Wednesday morning, Kuster held onto that lead with 54.8%, according to the Associated Press, which declared Kuster the winner.
“Serving as your representative in the House of Representatives is the honor of my lifetime," Kuster told supporters late Tuesday night. "I’m eternally grateful for the trust bestowed upon me by the people of New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District. This has been an election like no other before.”
By 12:30 a.m., Kuster repeated that statement in a message to supporters announcing her victory.
Negron, 59, is a former Nashua state representative and retired Air Force officer. In 2005, he opened Integron, a small Nashua-based engineering and consulting firm, drawing upon his management experience at Lockheed Martin, GTE and General Dynamics.