By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – New Hampshire will maintain its Republican “Trifecta” with the House, Senate, and Executive branch of government being controlled by a GOP majority.
And the Committee to Elect House Republicans may be able to accomplish much of their “bold commitment” agenda with a 222-173 majority https://www.electhouserepublicans.com/contract from a Parental Bill of Rights to stopping New Hampshire from becoming a “sanctuary state” and decreasing child and healthcare costs.
Paul Smith, House Clerk sent out a notification on the platform known as “X” formerly Twitter that the breakdown after the Nov. 5 election will include 222 Republicans and 178 Democrats for the session beginning in January and continuing for the next two years.
The 400-seat chamber was almost evenly split in 2022 after the election with 201 Republicans elected and 198 Democrats also being seated.
“After thorough reporting from NH’s many town/city clerks and our members, we have the breakdown (before recounts) of the 169th Session of the General Court. The House will have 222 Republican members and 178 Democratic members,” the House Clerk statement read at 3 p.m.
The State Senate will also be a bit deeper in the red with two incumbent Democrats appearing to lose their reelection bids. This would make the Republican majority 16-8 rather than the current 14-10.
And in the corner office, former U.S. Senator and former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, easily won over former Manchester Mayor and Democrat Joyce Craig, to succeed outgoing Republican Chris Sununu.
Among those returning to the chamber are former Republican Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester, who was removed as chairman of the House Election Law Committee amid Democrats’ criticism and then resigned.
He won a seat in Weare, his new home town, Hillsborough 44, which also includes Goffstown. He and fellow Republican incumbent Lisa Mazur won the two seats in that district over Democrats Marie Morgan and Eric Emerling.
Berry’s return to the chamber was also heralded on X by House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn.
When Berry resigned, he said he was moving from Manchester to Weare, outside his House district as the reason he stepped down.
Days before, House Speaker Sherm Packard removed Berry as chair and named Rep. Steven Smith, R-Charlestown, to lead the panel.
The 10 Democrats on the House Election Law Committee sent Packard a complaint noting that Berry held an initial committee vote before most of them had a chance to arrive.
In their complaint, the Democrats said they felt Berry “ambushed” them.
Berry is vice chair of the Committee to Elect House Republicans which has produced a Contract with New Hampshire, a “bold commitment” with a 10 point priority agenda including expanding housing, grow jobs, empower parents in education, lower energy prices, decrease childcare costs, regulate healthcare prices, finish bail reform, protect common sense abortion limits and stop New Hampshire from becoming a “sanctuary state.”
The chair of the committee is Osborne and the treasurer of the Committee is House Speaker Packard.
