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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat happened in New Hampshire?
Disclosure: Ive been to NH on vacation in the fall numerous times, but I really dont know much about politics there, except they have one of the early primaries and they kinda pride themselves on being politically active.
It seems so crazy to me that Biden won NH by almost 60,000 votes, and Jean Shaheen won her reelection by 125,000. They also re-elected their 2 Dem house representatives. So far, so good. How then did NH vote to flip both their massive state House and their small state Senate from Dem to Republican control in a census year with state-level redistricting at stake?
Seriously, I am trying to understand that. On the surface it makes no sense.
SomedayKindaLove
(529 posts)sweetloukillbot
(11,011 posts)moose65
(3,166 posts)They seem to love sending Democrats to DC, but they have a secret affair with Republicans at home!
Dem2
(8,168 posts)It's a blue state now.
Celerity
(43,349 posts)The tradition of a governor term-limiting out and running for Senate is a tradition here.
former9thward
(32,002 posts)Ok...
moose65
(3,166 posts)Their state House has like 400 members for a state population of 1.4 million, so its subject to wild swings. The senate is tiny by comparison: 24 members.
Dem2
(8,168 posts)It was Republican for like 100 years, so there's still lots of old-school Republicans here. Several blue states have Republican legislatures.
I don't understand local politics that well, and I wasn't raised here.
Celerity
(43,349 posts)(only the parts centred on the Pacific coast) of the US would be 2nd. Parts of Southern and Northern California 3rd. SOME parts of NYC 4th. Nothing else is very comparable.
OAITW r.2.0
(24,467 posts)I getting this book- "A Libertarian Walks into a Bear"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50358538-a-libertarian-walks-into-a-bear
OAITW r.2.0
(24,467 posts)The days of rock ribbed Yankee Republicans are a thing of the past.
PatSeg
(47,420 posts)and honestly, I don't understand it either. Chris Sununu was reelected as governor as well and he openly bragged about being a Trump guy.
I've only been in New Hampshire for ten years, so I still don't get their politics. Our former governor Maggie Hassan is now our junior senator, so both our senators are Democratic women. I don't understand how Sununu got such a huge win. The best I can guess is the political ads against the Dems had to do with tax threats (sales tax or income tax).
moose65
(3,166 posts)Doesnt matter which state. Republicans always try to scare people with the old Dems will raise your taxes.
I know NH has no general sales or income taxes. Property tax there must be massive.
PatSeg
(47,420 posts)Republicans keep trying to spook people about Democrats trying to make New Hampshire more like Massachusetts, with all their high taxes and eek, socialism. Of the ads I've seen on Facebook, they used these arguments against some Democratic candidates. The problem is that if you're not paying sales tax or income tax, you're being taxed somewhere else in the form of fees and property tax, but so many can't see that.
They would rather "Live free or die, than pay a damn sales tax"!
Dem2
(8,168 posts)Not sure why any Democrat would venture into such a place if they want to win.
PatSeg
(47,420 posts)they seem to like their Democratic governors. Shaheen was elected governor three times and senator twice. Maggie Hassan was elected governor twice and went on to become a senator. John Lynch was governor for four terms.
Democrats can do very well here, but there is an odd mix of republicans, Libertarians, and Democrats.
Marius25
(3,213 posts)My parents are considering retiring there, and in a lot of districts, a $500,000 house is like $13,000 in property taxes.