The 2018 New Hampshire Senate election was held on November 6, 2018, concurrently with the elections for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, to elect members to the 166th New Hampshire General Court. All 24 seats in the New Hampshire Senate were up for election. It resulted in Democrats gaining control of both chambers of the New Hampshire General Court, ending the total control of New Hampshire's state government, that Republicans had held in New Hampshire since the 2016 state elections.
Primary elections were held on September 11, 2018.
Background
In the 2016 New Hampshire state elections, Republicans held on to their majority in the New Hampshire Senate by a margin of 14–10. Republicans also maintained control of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. In addition, Republican Chris Sununu won the open 2016 New Hampshire gubernatorial election giving the New Hampshire Republican Party total control of the state government for the first time since Republican Governor Craig Benson was defeated by Democrat John Lynch in the 2004 New Hampshire gubernatorial election.
In the aftermath of his 2016 election, then president-elect Donald Trump claimed in a tweet that voter fraud had occurred in New Hampshire. In February 2017, Trump advisor Stephen Miller reaffirmed that position by claiming "busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who’s worked in New Hampshire politics". These claims were called "baseless" by several observers.
In response to those allegations, the Republican majorities in the New Hampshire General Court drafted bills changing voter registration rules. Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) passed both chambers of the New Hampshire General Court on party-line votes and was signed in to law by Governor Sununu on July 10, 2017. The new law requires voters to declare a "domicile" in New Hampshire. It also included jail sentences of up to one year or a fine of up to $5,000, if voters registered and not provided necessary paperwork as proof within 10 day or 30 days in smaller towns. Republicans pointed to over 5,000 voters who voted in the 2016 election after identifying with an out-of-state driver's licence, that have not gotten an in-state licence as of September 2017. Democrats suspected a voter suppression scheme, that targeted college students, that they think are most likely to use identification issued by other states.
The League of Women Voters, the New Hampshire Democratic Party and several college students challenged the new law in court. They pointed to the Supreme Court's decision in Symm v. United States, that guaranteed college students the right to vote at their university. The trial judge of the Hillsborough Superior Court decided on October 22, 2018, that the state cannot apply the law in the upcoming elections. The Attorney General of New Hampshire's office then filed an emergency motion with the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The State Supreme Court sided with the state in a unanimous 5-0 decision arguing that overturning the law so close to elections was potentially confusing and disruptive. The State Supreme Court did not decide on the merits of the law in this decision. Therefore, SB3 was first applied in the 2018 elections.
Results
Analysis
In the 2018 elections, Democrats saw gains in state elections across the countries, gaining multiple Governorships and legislative chambers. Democrats also won control of the United States House of Representatives for the first time since 2010. Commentators called the election results a "blue wave", that was especially pronounced in state elections.
In the New Hampshire Senate, Democrats were able to flip Districts 9, 11, 12, 23 and 24, while the Republicans flipped District 1. The Democratic gains were mostly in less rural areas in Southern and Eastern New Hampshire while the Republican gains were limited to the rural Senate District 1 in the North Country. The incumbent Democratic Senator in District 1, Jeff Woodburn, had been accused of domestic violence and criminally charged a few months before the election.
Overview
Source: Official results.