New Hampshire voters are picking nominees in the Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, as well as choosing candidates in an open House race in the state’s First Congressional District.
Two Democrats — Molly Kelly and Steve Marchand — are vying for the chance to run against popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who is facing his first reelection since taking office in 2016. New Hampshire had been led by Democratic governors for 12 years until Sununu won in 2016 — and Democrats want it back.
There’s also a massive field of candidates running in the race for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, after Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter announced she is retiring this year. Eleven Democrats and five Republicans are competing for the nomination in their respective primaries. Bitter battles have played out in each primary, fueled by outside money and controversial attack ads.
Polls close at 8 pm ET. Live results are below, powered by Decision Desk.
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New Hampshire governor primary
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New Hampshire has a long history as a purple state, and Chris Sununu is the Granite State’s first Republican governor in 12 years. Former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand is going up against longtime former state Sen. Molly Kelly to challenge Sununu in the fall. Democrats badly want to flip Sununu’s seat this year, but it will probably be tough as the governor has an approval rating of 61 percent, per an August poll from the University of New Hampshire.
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New Hampshire First Congressional District
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With the exit of Carol Shea-Porter, there’s a massive 11-person Democratic primary shaping up to replace her. Chris Pappas, a young, openly gay, popular executive councilor, has been seen as a rising star and as viewed as the frontrunner. But competition has come from Maura Sullivan, an Emily’s List-backed veteran who served in the Obama administration and who recently moved to New Hampshire to run for this seat.
Pappas and Sullivan will also be challenged by the massive field of other candidates they’re facing. And let’s not forget Levi Sanders, son of the famous Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who still hasn’t gotten his dad’s endorsement.
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There’s another large field in the Republican primary. The race has featured a nasty fight between frontrunners Andy Sanborn and Eddie Edwards. Sanborn has been accused of making inappropriate and sexually suggestive comments to a former state House intern, which has a lot of New Hampshire Republicans questioning his character and lining up behind Edwards.
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Author: Ella Nilsen
