New Hampshire Republicans Expand Control Of State Government

New Hampshire Republicans are projected to maintain trifecta control of state government heading into 2025, according to preliminary results released this week.

Updated vote totals show Republicans expanding their majority in the Granite State’s House of Representatives. As of this article’s publication, Republicans are projected to win at least 203 House seats. The GOP held 197 seats heading into the Nov. 5 contest, compared to Democrats’ 191.

Republicans holding their House majority is welcome news after preliminary results last week showed them retaining the state Senate and governor’s mansion. According to The New York Times, Republicans won 16 of the state’s 24 Senate seats, giving them a veto-proof supermajority in the upper chamber. The GOP held 14 Senate seats heading into last week’s election.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte is projected to defeat Democrat Joyce Craig by 9.3 points. Ayotte became the GOP nominee earlier this year after current Gov. Chris Sununu announced last year he would not be seeking a fifth term in office.

“From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!” Ayotte wrote on X. “I am honored to have the privilege of serving as your next Governor. Now, let’s keep New Hampshire moving in the right direction!”

The governor-elect represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2011-2017.

Maintaining trifecta control will allow Republicans to pass conservative priorities such as legislation instrumental to ensuring integrity in the state’s elections. Earlier this year, for example, Sununu signed into law a Republican-passed bill strengthening New Hampshire’s voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements. As The Federalist’s Breccan Thies reported, House Bill 1569 requires “voters to provide proof of citizenship to apply for registration, as well as a photo ID when casting a ballot.”

The measure was not in effect for the Nov. 5 general election, however. H.B. 1569 builds upon legislation passed and signed into law last year. As The Federalist previously reported, that bill “altered the process by which voters verify their identity when casting their ballot.”

The law faced an onslaught of lawfare from leftist groups, who baselessly contended the provisions violated Granite Staters’ constitutional rights. A state court dismissed these arguments in a November 2023 decision.

The New Hampshire GOP released its 2025 legislative priorities prior to the 2024 general election. They include “increasing parental involvement in education, implementing ‘verified citizen voting,’ supporting law enforcement, and addressing bail reform,” according to Seacoastonline.