NH (Largest State Legislature In US) To Elect 424 Lawmakers

CONCORD, NH -- New Hampshire, with its 424-member state legislature, has the largest such body in the country. Voters will elect candidates for all 424 seats on Election Day, November 6. Republicans currently hold substantial majorities in both House and Senate. In the House, the GOP holds a 210-167 majority, while in the Senate it holds a 14-10 majority. Republicans also hold the corner office with Gov. Chris Sununu, who is running for re-election.

Perhaps the most controversial race involves North Country Democratic State Senator Jeff Woodburn, who's running for a fourth term against Republican David Starr. In August, Woodburn -- then the Senate minority leader -- was arrested and charged with domestic violence after police said he hit and bit a woman. He pleaded not guilty to nine alleged crimes, including assault, threatening and trespassing.

After his arrest, Woodburn stepped down from his leadership post but refused calls to resign from politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Sununu and Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

"(Woodburn) has made it very difficult for us to campaign," Theodore Bosen, acting chair of the Coos County Democratic Committee in the North Country, told Patch. "We are the party of women's rights."

On the Republican side, Republican Senate President Chuck Morse, of Salem, is up against Democrat Richard O'Shaughnessy and Libertarian Mitch Dyer. Morse, 57, has served as Senate president since 2013 and said if he is re-elected and re-appointed, it will likely be his last term in the leadership post.

"You can’t count on me being Senate president forever," Morse told WMUR. "We have put the state in a great position and we want it to stay there."

Republican Senate Majority Leader Richard Hinch, of Merrimack, is also running for re-election.

These are the 24 Senate races that will be decided November 6:

District 1

• Jeff Woodburn - Democrat, incumbent
• David Starr - Republican, incumbent

District 2

• Bill Bolton - Democrat
• Bob Giuda - Republican, incumbent

District 3

• Christopher Meier - Democrat
• Jeb Bradley - Republican, incumbent
• Tania Butler - Libertarian Party

District 4

• David Watters - Democrat, incumbent, running uncontested

District 5

• Martha Hennessey - Democrat, incumbent
• Patrick Lozito - Republican

District 6

• Anne Grassie - Democrat
• James Gray - Republican, incumbent

District 7

• Mason Donovan - Democrat
• Harold French - Republican, incumbent

District 8

• Jenn Alford-Teaster - Democrat
• Ruth Ward - Republican, incumbent

District 9

• Jeanne Dietsch - Democrat
• Dan Hynes - Republican

District 10

• Jay Kahn - Democrat, incumbent
• Dan LeClair - Republican
• Ian Freeman - Libertarian

District 11

• Shannon Chandley - Democrat
• Gary Daniels - Republican, incumbent

District 12

• Melanie Levesque - Democrat
• Kevin Avard - Republican, incumbent

District 13

• Cindy Rosenwald - Democrat
• David Schoneman - Republican

District 14

• Tammy Siekmann - Democrat
• Sharon Carson - Republican, incumbent

District 15

• Dan Feltes - Democrat, incumbent
• Pamela Ean - Republican

District 16

• Kevin Cavanaugh - Democrat, incumbent
• David Boutin - Republican

District 17

• Christopher Roundy - Democrat
• John Reagan - Republican, incumbent

District 18

• Donna Soucy - Democrat, incumbent
• George Lambert Jr.

District 19

• Kristina Durocher - Democrat
• Regina Birdsell - Republican, incumbent

District 20

• Lou D'Allesandro - Democrat, incumbent
• Carla Gericke

District 21

• Martha Fuller Clark - Democrat, incumbent
• Peter Macdonald - Republican

District 22

• Richard O'Shaughnessy - Democrat
• Chuck Morse - Republican, incumbent
• Mitch Dyer (Libertarian Party)

District 23

• Jon Morgan - Democrat
• William M. Gannon - Republican, incumbent

District 24

• Tom Sherman - Democrat
• Dan Innis - Republican, incumbent

New Hampshire lawmakers serve two-year terms.

Related:

• Historic NH Congress Race: Eddie Edwards Vs. Chris Pappas
• NH Governor Chris Sununu Seeks Re-Election Vs. Molly Kelly
• Congresswoman Ann Kuster Seeks Re-Election Vs. Steve Negron

Photo credit: Tony Schinella/Patch