Republicans Secure Special Election Victory in Biden-Won District in New Hampshire

Ashley Oliver 14 Apr 2021

 

A Republican defeated a Democrat in a New Hampshire House special election Tuesday in Merrimack, a town President Joe Biden carried by six points in the 2020 presidential race.  In the state’s first special election since the 2020 cycle, Town Councilor Bill Boyd beat out former state Rep. Wendy Thomas by eight percent, strengthening Republicans’ majority in the 400-seat House, 213–186. (Editor's Note:  I believe there are 212 Republicans in the House. RK)

“The turnout was huge by special election standards, reflecting the enthusiasm on both sides,” local outlet WMUR observed. The seat became vacant after the death of state Rep. Dick Hinch, a Republican who had just been elected speaker of the House before he died in December.  

 The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) said in a press release after Boyd’s win that Democrats had perceived the race as a “bellwether” for the upcoming 2021 and 2022 elections. The RSLC reported that in a Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) fundraising email in April, the latter group had written of the race, “This is an early chance for Democrats to get a head start and lay the groundwork for victory in one of the hardest-fought swing states of the 2022 midterms.”  ........To Read More....