The New Hampshire Democratic Party put forward a nearly full slate of state Senate candidates today, eyeing a chance to reclaim the majority in a year when a good chunk of the chamber's seats will be up for grabs.
Of the 24 current state Senators, eight aren’t planning to run again — either because they’re retiring, or they’re pursuing other political posts. (This level of turnover isn't necessarily uncommon: As previously reported, eight members also stepped aside in 2012.)
Those stepping down include a mix of Republicans and Democrats. And state Democratic leaders have made no secret of their hopes to seize on these openings to flip the Senate in their favor.
NH's next state senate majority! #nhpolitics pic.twitter.com/VFPKVGVYre
— Raymond Buckley (@ChairmanBuckley) June 1, 2016
On Wednesday, the New Hampshire Democratic Party announced that 25 candidates filed their paperwork to run in all but one of the state Senate districts. In two districts (District 9, spanning from Bedford to Fitzwilliam, and District 10, centered in Keene) more than one party-backed candidate is planning to run.
The only district where a NHDP-backed pick has not yet filed is District 22, the one currently represented by Republican Senate President Chuck Morse of Salem. Zach McNamara, a NHDP staffer, says the party plans to have candidates running in all districts by the time the filing period concludes.
The state Senate field put forward by the party includes eight incumbents, and four lawmakers currently serving in the house. The rest of the group includes a mix of local officials, a retired Boston Globe reporter, labor and education advocates, among others.
Here’s the full list of NHDP-backed candidates who filed Wednesday, provided by the party. (Incumbents are in bold.)
- District 1: Sen. Jeff Woodburn, of Whitefield
- District 2: Charlie Chandler, of Warren
- District 3: John White, of Wolfeboro
- District 4: Sen. David Watters, of Dover
- District 5: Rep. Martha Hennessey, Hanover
- District 6: Joe Casey, of Rochester
- District 7: Sen. Andrew Hosmer, of Laconia
- District 8: John Garvey, of New London
- District 9: Jeanne Dietsch, of Peterborough
- District 9: Lee Nyquist, of New Boston
- District 10: Jay Kahn, of Keene
- District 10: Rep. Kris Roberts, of Keene
- District 11: Roger Tilton, of Milford
- District 12: Peggy Gilmour, of Hollis (Served two previous terms in the Senate)
- District 13: Sen. Bette Lasky, of Nashua
- District 14: Tammy Siekmann, of Londonderry
- District 15: Sen. Dan Feltes, of Concord
- District 16: Scott McGilvray, of Manchester
- District 17: Nancy Fraher, of Chichester
- District 18: Sen. Donna Soucy, of Manchester
- District 19: Kristi St. Laurent, of Windham
- District 20: Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, of Manchester
- District 21: Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, of Portsmouth
- District 23: Rep. Alexis Simpson, of Exeter
- District 24: Rep. Tom Sherman, of Rye
