On August 12th, I wrote about an upcoming special election for Rockingham County. I asked you to urge anyone you knew in either towns of Northwood and Nottingham to get out and vote on September 19th for Hal Rafter, a former Nottingham selectman and school board member. Well, I am pleased to report that Mr. Rafter won that open seat for the NH House of Representatives!
This past April, incumbent Brian Bartlett (R) resigned due to health issues, resulting in this win by Rafter. Despite a heavily gerrymandered map drawn up last year, this latest win by Democrats brings their numbers up to 197 to the Republicans 198. There are also two Independents in the House with three seats that still remain open. This past Monday, Bill Hatch (D-Gorham) announced his resignation (unknown when to take effect), and Troy Merner (R-Lancaster) resigned on Tuesday. David Cote (D-Nashua) resigned in July due to chronic health conditions.
If Democrats can flip at least two of the open seats on November 5th, a slim majority can be gained. If you know people who live in those districts, feel free to share this post and urge them to vote in November! Together, we can do this!