GOP voters in the Granite State are set up for tough battles following the New Hampshire Primaries as Democrats vote in droves. Household names in the Republican ballot such as Kelly Ayotte and John Sununu won in their respective races; that familiarity is what Republicans are going to have to play with in order to come out on top in November.
Democratic voters delivered on the voiced concern about New Hampshire action in the U.S. Senate. According to an article in New Hampshire Bulletin, “Across the state, Democratic state primary voters outnumbered Republican voters, results from the Associated Press indicated Wednesday afternoon. In the statewide U.S. Senate primaries, Democrats made up 58.53% of the total voters and Republicans 41.47%, an analysis by the Bulletin shows.”
It is not a secret that Granite Staters are disappointed with the performance of New Hampshire representatives, both in the state and at the national level. President Trump’s affiliation with the party may even be a reason why the Republican vote may have slowed down midway through his presidency. However, in a presidential term riddled with noise and bad decisions, a massive turnout in the democratic primaries is not a surprising thing.
Chris Pappas, John Sununu’s U.S. Senate opponent, knows that people are fed up with President Trump. Pappas and other Democrats will use the distaste with the Republican Party in an attempt to surge even more voters in November.
According to an article from AP News, “Speaking to supporters at his family’s restaurant in Manchester, he quickly sought to link Sununu to President Donald Trump, who endorsed Sununu even though Sununu called him “a loser” during the 2024 presidential campaign.”
Trump did endorse Sununu back in January, but whether Republicans want to admit it or not, that support from the president does more harm than good. It shows with the voter turnout in the primary. Pappas is backed by Senator Maggie Hassan and other New Hampshire representatives, a much more guiding voice right now for voters across the Granite State.
These familiar faces on the Republican ballot are who will lead the way for voters in November following the primary. Granite Staters who look to vote in November should remember who has been in charge in New Hampshire–who already has that experience. Pappas is vacating his seat in the 1st Congressional District and is going up against a Sununu, a name who has already led New Hampshire in the past. Ayotte will have to face the unopposed Democratic candidate Cinde Warmington after defeating two candidates in the primary.
The two candidates to emerge from the New Hampshire Congressional District (CD) 1 and CD 2 GOP primaries are Anthony DiLorenzo and Lily Tang Williams. Both will take on fairly new candidates in Stefany Shaheen and Maggie Goodlander, another good opportunity for Republican voters to up the turnout in November.
Two well known candidates in two positions of power is what Republicans can take out of the New Hampshire primary. Democrats did hit hard with voter turnout, and endorsements from Trump may have deterred Republican voters from turning up on Tuesday.
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jenscoe@kscequinox.com
