2020 New Hampshire Senate election

For the federal election, see 2020 United States Senate election in New Hampshire.

2020 New Hampshire Senate election

←  2018 November 3, 2020 2022  →
All 24 seats in the New Hampshire Senate 13 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Chuck Morse Donna Soucy Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat 22nd District 18th District Seats before 10 14 Seats after 14 10 Seat change 4 4 Popular vote 384,138 381,223 Percentage 50.2% 49.8% Swing 4.1% 4.1%
Results:      Republican gain      Republican hold     Democratic hold
President before election Donna Soucy Democratic Elected President Chuck Morse Republican

The 2020 New Hampshire Senate elections took place as part of the biennial 2020 United States elections. New Hampshire voters elected state senators in all of the state's 24 senate districts. State senators serve two-year terms in the New Hampshire Senate, with all of the seats up for election each cycle. The primary elections on September 8, 2020, determined which candidates will appear on the November 3, 2020, general election ballot.

Following the 2018 election, Democrats had control of the New Hampshire Senate with 14 seats to Republicans' 10 seats. Following the 2020 election, the Republicans flipped four seats and thus control of the chamber alongside flipping the New Hampshire House of Representatives. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Composition

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
Before election	14	10	24	0
After election	10	14	24	0

Summary

District	Incumbent	Party		Elected Senator	Party
1st	David Starr		Rep	Erin Hennessey		Rep
2nd	Bob Giuda		Rep	Bob Giuda		Rep
3rd	Jeb Bradley		Rep	Jeb Bradley		Rep
4th	David H. Watters		Dem	David H. Watters		Dem
5th	Martha Hennessey [a]		Dem	Suzanne Prentiss		Dem
6th	James P. Gray		Rep	James P. Gray		Rep
7th	Harold F. French		Rep	Harold F. French		Rep
8th	Ruth Ward		Rep	Ruth Ward		Rep
9th	Jeanne Dietsch		Dem	Denice Ricciardi		Rep
10th	Jay Kahn		Dem	Jay Kahn		Dem
11th	Shannon Chandley		Dem	Gary Daniels		Rep
12th	Melanie Levesque		Dem	Kevin Avard		Rep
13th	Cindy Rosenwald		Dem	Cindy Rosenwald		Dem
14th	Sharon Carson		Rep	Sharon Carson		Rep
15th	Dan Feltes [a]		Dem	Becky Whitley		Dem
16th	Kevin Cavanaugh		Dem	Kevin Cavanaugh		Dem
17th	John Reagan		Rep	John Reagan		Rep
18th	Donna Soucy		Dem	Donna Soucy		Dem
19th	Regina Birdsell		Rep	Regina Birdsell		Rep
20th	Lou D'Allesandro		Dem	Lou D'Allesandro		Dem
21st	Martha Fuller Clark [a]		Dem	Rebecca Perkins Kwoka		Dem
22nd	Chuck Morse		Rep	Chuck Morse		Rep
23rd	Jon Morgan		Dem	Bill Gannon		Rep
24th	Tom Sherman		Dem	Tom Sherman		Dem

1. Not seeking reelection, therefore this seat is open.

Close races

District	Winner	Margin
District 2	Republican	11.66%
District 1	Republican	14.6%
District 6	Republican	15.52%
District 7	Republican	15.94%
District 8	Republican	11.14%
District 9	Republican (flip)	1.16%
District 11	Republican (flip)	0.46%
District 12	Republican (flip)	2.24%
District 13	Democratic	17.15%
District 14	Republican	17.74%
District 16	Democratic	3.56%
District 18	Democratic	11.8%
District 19	Republican	15.08%
District 20	Democratic	12.78%
District 23	Republican (flip)	6.72%
District 24	Democratic	4.7%

Outgoing incumbents

Retiring

• Martha Hennessey (D–Hanover), representing District 5 since 2016, announced in May 2020 that she would be retiring at the end of her term to spend more time with her family. ^[5]
• Martha Fuller Clark (D–Portsmouth), representing District 21 since 2012 (and 2004–2010), announced in May 2020 that she would be retiring from the legislature. ^[6]

Seeking another office

• Dan Feltes (D–Concord), representing District 15 since 2014, is not seeking reelection to the Senate in order to run for governor of New Hampshire. Feltes won the primary and faced incumbent Chris Sununu in the general election.

Defeated in primary

• David Starr (R–Franconia), representing District 1 since 2018, was defeated in the Republican primary by New Hampshire House of Representatives member Erin Hennessey. ^[7]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [8]	Lean D	October 21, 2020

Detailed results

District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24

District 1

Candidates

Republican

• Erin Hennessey, incumbent state representative for Grafton District 4 since 2014
• David Starr, incumbent state senator since 2018

Democratic

• Susan Ford, incumbent state representative for Grafton District 3 since 2018

Results

Republican primary

District 1 Republican primary ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Erin Hennessey	3,379	70.3
	Republican	David Starr (incumbent)	1,427	29.7
Total votes			4,806	100.0

General election

State Senate District 1 general election, 2020 ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Erin Hennessey	15,756	57.3
	Democratic	Susan Ford	11,741	42.7
Total votes			27,497	100.0

District 2

Candidates

Republican

• David DeVoy, U.S. Army veteran and gas station owner
• Bob Giuda, incumbent state senator since 2016, former state representative for Grafton District 4 and District 5 2000–2006

Democratic

• Bill Bolton, retired state employee and Plymouth Select Board Chair

Results

Republican primary

District 2 Republican primary ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Giuda (incumbent)	5,582	80.5
	Republican	David DeVoy	1,352	19.5
Total votes			6,934	100.0

General election

State Senate District 2 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Giuda (incumbent)	17,661	55.83
	Democratic	Bill Bolton	13,974	44.17
Total votes			31,635	100.00

District 3

Candidates

Republican

• Jeb Bradley, incumbent state senator since 2009, former Majority Leader (2010–2018), former U.S. Representative from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district (2003–2007)

Democratic

• Theresa Swanick, Effingham elected official and candidate for state representative in Carroll District 5 in 2016 and 2018

Results

State Senate District 3 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeb Bradley (incumbent)	22,086	61.5
	Democratic	Theresa Swanick	13,826	38.5
Total votes			35,912	100.0

District 4

Candidates

Democratic

• David H. Watters, incumbent state senator since 2012

Republican

• Frank Bertone, former Libertarian candidate for state representative Strafford District 4 in 2018

Results

State Senate District 4 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David H. Watters (incumbent)	19,228	61.36
	Republican	Frank Bertone	12,107	38.64
Total votes			31,335	100.00

District 5

Candidates

Democratic

• Beatriz Pastor, former state representative for Grafton District 12 (2008–2014)
• Sue Prentiss, former Lebanon Mayor, current Lebanon councilwoman and paramedic

Republican

• Timothy O'Hearne

Results

Democratic primary

District 5 Democratic primary ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sue Prentiss	4,124	50.4
	Democratic	Beatriz Pastor	4,056	49.6
Total votes			8,180	100.0

General election

State Senate District 5 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sue Prentiss	20,418	66.46
	Republican	Timothy O'Hearne	10,295	33.54
Total votes			30,713	100.00

District 6

Candidates

Republican

• James Gray, incumbent state senator since 2016

Democratic

• Christopher Rice, Rochester councilman

Results

State Senate District 6 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James Gray (incumbent)	17,290	57.77
	Democratic	Christopher Rice	12,638	42.23
Total votes			29,928	100.00

District 7

Candidates

Republican

• Harold F. French, incumbent state senator since 2016

Democratic

• Philip Spagnuolo Jr., former state representative for Belknap District 3 (February–December 2018)

Results

State Senate District 7 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Harold F. French (incumbent)	17,801	57.97
	Democratic	Philip Spagnuolo Jr.	12,907	42.03
Total votes			30,708	100.00

District 8

Candidates

Republican

• Ruth Ward, incumbent state senator since 2016

Democratic

• Jenn Alford-Teaster, researcher and candidate for District 8 in 2018

Results

State Senate District 8 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ruth Ward (incumbent)	18,903	55.57
	Democratic	Jenn Alford-Teaster	15,114	44.43
Total votes			34,017	100.00

District 9

Candidates

Democratic

• Jeanne Dietsch, incumbent state senator since 2018

Republican

• Denise Ricciardi, Bedford councilwoman

Results

State Senate District 9 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Denise Ricciardi	17,920	50.58
	Democratic	Jeanne Dietsch (incumbent)	17,511	49.42
Total votes			35,431	100.00

District 10

Candidates

Democratic

• Jay Kahn, incumbent state senator since 2016

Republican

• Dan LeClair, businessman and candidate for District 10 in 2018.

Results

State Senate District 10 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jay Kahn (incumbent)	18,876	62.55
	Republican	Dan LeClair	11,303	37.45
Total votes			30,179	100.00

District 11

Candidates

Democratic

• Shannon Chandley, incumbent state senator since 2018

Republican

• Gary Daniels, former state senator from District 11 (2014–2018)

Results

State Senate District 11 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gary Daniels	17 493	50.23
	Democratic	Shannon Chandley (incumbent)	17 334	49.77
Total votes			34,827	100.00

District 12

Candidates

Democratic

• Melanie Levesque, incumbent state senator since 2018

Republican

• Kevin Avard, former state senator from District 12 (2014–2018)

Results

State Senate District 12 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kevin Avard	17,534	51.17
	Democratic	Melanie Levesque (incumbent)	16,729	48.83
Total votes			34,263	100.00

District 13

Candidates

Democratic

• Cindy Rosenwald, incumbent state senator since 2018

Republican

• Mariellen MacKay, former Democratic state representative for Hillsborough District 30 (2012–2018), Republican candidate for Hillsborough District 30 in 2018

Results

State Senate District 13 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Cindy Rosenwald (incumbent)	15,611	58.57
	Republican	Mariellen MacKay	11,042	41.42
Total votes			26,653	100.00

District 14

Candidates

Republican

• Sharon Carson, incumbent state senator since 2008, former president pro tempore of the New Hampshire Senate (2014–2018)

Democratic

• Nancy Hendricks, former Londonderry School Board chair

Results

State Senate District 14 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sharon Carson (incumbent)	19,082	58.87
	Democratic	Nancy Hendricks	13 330	41.13
Total votes			32 412	100.00

District 15

Candidates

Democratic

• Candace Bouchard, former Concord councilwoman and former state representative for Merrimack District 18 (1998–2014)
• Paul Hodes, former U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district (2007–2011)
• Becky Whitley, lawyer and activist

Republican

• Linda Rae Banfill, candidate for Concord mayor in 2019

Results

Democratic primary

District 15 Democratic primary ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Becky Whitley	3,845	40.9
	Democratic	Paul Hodes	3,124	33.3
	Democratic	Candace Bouchard	2,418	25.8
Total votes			9,387	100.0

General election

State Senate District 15 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Becky Whitley	19 462	63.38
	Republican	Linda Rae Banfill	11 243	36.62
Total votes			30,705	100.00

District 16

Candidates

Democratic

• Kevin Cavanaugh, incumbent state senator since 2017

Republican

• Jason Syversen, businessman

Results

State Senate District 16 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kevin Cavanaugh (incumbent)	17,165	51.78
	Republican	Jason Syversen	15,986	48.22
Total votes			33,151	100.00

District 17

Candidates

Republican

• Janet DelFuoco, witch
• John Reagan, incumbent state senator since 2012

Democratic

• Nancy Fraher, state senate candidate for District 17 in 2014 and 2016

Results

Republican primary

District 17 Republican primary ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Reagan (incumbent)	5,688	82.6
	Republican	Janet DelFuoco	1,201	17.4
Total votes			6,889	100.0

General election

State Senate District 17 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Reagan (incumbent)	20,317	60.1
	Democratic	Nancy Fraher	13,488	39.9
Total votes			33,805	100.0

District 18

Candidates

Democratic

• Donna Soucy, incumbent state senator since 2012, incumbent Senate President since December 2018

Republican

• George Lambert, former state representative for Hillsborough District 44 (2010–2014), former candidate for Governor (2014), candidate for District 18 in 2018
• Ross Terrio, former Manchester School Board member (2013–2020), former state representative for Hillsborough District 14 (2010–2012)

Results

Republican primary

District 18 Republican primary ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Lambert	2,317	57.9
	Republican	Ross Terrio	1,681	42.1
Total votes			3,998	100.0

General election

State Senate District 18 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donna Soucy (incumbent)	14,105	55.4
	Republican	George Lambert	11,355	44.6
Total votes			25,460	100.0

District 19

Candidates

Republican

• Regina Birdsell, incumbent state senator since 2014

Democratic

• Joshua Bourdon, Derry councilman

Results

State Senate District 19 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Regina Birdsell (incumbent)	18,263	57.54
	Democratic	Joshua Bourdon	13,477	42.46
Total votes			31,740	100

District 20

Candidates

Democratic

• Lou D'Allesandro, incumbent state senator since 1998

Republican

• Carla Gericke, candidate for District 20 in 2016 and 2018
• Jack Kenny

Results

Republican primary

District 20 Republican primary ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Carla Gericke	1,608	50.7
	Republican	Jack Kenny	1,564	49.3
Total votes			3,172	100.0

General election

State Senate District 20 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lou D'Allesandro (incumbent)	13,548	56.39
	Republican	Carla Gericke	10,479	43.61
Total votes			24,027	100.00

District 21

Candidates

Democratic

• Deaglan McEachern, Portsmouth councilman
• Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, Portsmouth councilwoman

Republican

• Sue Polidura, historian

Results

Democratic primary

District 21 Democratic primary ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rebecca Perkins Kwoka	6,181	62.9
	Democratic	Deaglan McEachern	3,639	37.1
Total votes			9,820	100.0

General election

State Senate District 21 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rebecca Perkins Kwoka	21,827	67.07
	Republican	Sue Polidura	10,717	32.93
Total votes			32,544	100.00

District 22

Candidates

Republican

• Chuck Morse, incumbent state senator since 2010 (and also 2002–2006) and former Senate President (2013–2018); Minority leader since 2018

Democratic

• Thomas Haynes, retired

Results

State Senate District 22 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chuck Morse (incumbent)	22,191	64.76
	Democratic	Thomas Haynes	12,073	35.24
Total votes			34,264	100.00

District 23

Candidates

Democratic

• Jon Morgan, incumbent state senator since 2018

Republican

• Allen Cook, former state representative for Rockingham District 11 (2014–2018)
• Bill Gannon, former state senator for District 23 (2016–2018)

Results

Republican primary

District 23 Republican primary ^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Gannon	5,000	73.3
	Republican	Allen Cook	1,564	26.7
Total votes			6,820	100.0

General election

State Senate District 23 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Gannon	18,627	53.31
	Democratic	Jon Morgan (incumbent)	16,314	46.69
Total votes			34,941	100.00

District 24

Candidates

Democratic

• Tom Sherman, incumbent state senator since 2018

Republican

• Regina Barnes, Hampton Board of Selectmen member
• Louis Gargiulo, 2016 Republican National Convention delegate from New Hampshire

Results

Republican primary

District 24 Republican primary ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Louis Gargiulo	5,257	71.6
	Republican	Regina Barnes	2,084	28.4
Total votes			7,341	100.0

General election

State Senate District 24 general election, 2020 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Sherman (incumbent)	20,527	52.35
	Republican	Louis Gargiulo	18,687	47.65
Total votes			39,214	100.00

See also

• 2020 New Hampshire elections
• 2020 United States elections
• New Hampshire Senate
• Elections in New Hampshire
• List of New Hampshire General Courts

References

1. Demsas, Jerusalem (November 5, 2020). "Democrats fail to make gains in state legislative races in advance of 2021 redistricting". Vox. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
2. Mutnick, Ally; Rodriguez, Sabrina (November 4, 2020). "'A decade of power': Statehouse wins position GOP to dominate redistricting". Politico. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
3. Berman, Russell (November 10, 2020). "The Failure That Could Haunt Democrats for a Decade". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
4. Brown-Kaiser, Liz; Caldwell, Leigh Ann (November 10, 2020). "Democrats blame increased Trump turnout, uphill races for failure to win state legislative seats". NBC News. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
5. DiStaso, John (May 5, 2020). "After six years in Legislature, Sen. Martha Hennessey says she's retiring to spend time with family". WMUR. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
6. "Longtime legislator Martha Fuller Clark to retire". AP NEWS. May 28, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
7. "Hennessey ousts Starr for senate run against Ford". www.newhampshirelakesandmountains.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
8. "October Overview: Handicapping the 2020 State Legislature Races". The Cook Political Report . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
9. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 1 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
10. https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/elections/election-results/2020-election-results/2020-general-election
11. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 2 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
12. "New hampshire state senate results".
13. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 5 Democratic primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
14. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 15 Democratic primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
15. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 17 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
16. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 18 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
17. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 20 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
18. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 21 Democratic primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
19. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 23 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
20. "New Hampshire Election Results – Senate District 24 Republican primary". WMUR, Associated Press . September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.

External links

• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "New Hampshire", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "New Hampshire: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org , Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of New Hampshire". (state affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• New Hampshire at Ballotpedia