By PAULA TRACY
CONCORD – After a general election that saw a record 834,651 voters casting their ballots Tuesday in the Granite State, members of the State Senate Majority Caucus unanimously chose Republican state Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, to serve as the next Senate President.
She will replace the retiring state Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, at the gavel.
Also, the New Hampshire Senate Democratic Caucus voted unanimously to elect Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, as the next Senate Democratic Leader.
The two veteran senators, both well respected, won their reelection bids Tuesday in a day of voting that has led to at least six recount requests which will begin to be handled next Tuesday, said officials at the Secretary of State’s office.
In the afternoon, the office was still waiting to tabulate the new number of registered Republicans and Democrats.
The Senate appears to now have a 16-8 Republican majority as both state Senator and Democratic leader Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, and state Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst, lost their reelection bids.
The two caucuses were held at the State House separately.
Carson, who had been Senate majority leader under Bradley said, “I am honored to be selected as the next Senate President. We live in the greatest state in the nation and this is a historic office that many great Granite State leaders have had the privilege of sitting in. I will never lose sight of that,” Carson stated. “I want to thank the voters of New Hampshire for trusting our caucus with the task of leading our state, and to thank my colleagues for choosing me to lead them in the Senate.”
Perkins Kwoka also issued a statement thanking her colleagues for voting to serve as the caucus leader for the next two years.
“I am excited to collaborate with you in the coming months as we work together on our caucus priorities for the next legislative session,” she said. “Our state is facing challenges that I know we can solve through finding common ground and inviting different perspectives. At this moment, we as Democrats are also prepared to serve as a wall against what is coming from Republicans at the state and federal level. We are prepared on day one with a unified voice focused on our state’s toughest challenges. Our caucus will keep fighting for policies that increase affordable housing and childcare, lower energy costs, and protect the fundamental rights and freedoms we hold dear.”
Sen. Perkins Kwoka will be joined in leadership by state Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, who was elected Deputy Democratic Leader in Friday’s caucus.
“Congratulations to Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka on her election as the next leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus,” said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. “Sen. Perkins Kwoka has been an unwavering advocate for Granite Staters in the state Senate, leading on issues like affordable housing, energy, voting rights, workforce development and reproductive rights — and with her experience and dedication for the people of New Hampshire, I know she – along with Senator Rosenwald – will lead the Senate Democratic Caucus with passion and conviction.
“I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Sen. Donna Soucy for her years of service to the Senate Democratic Caucus and to New Hampshire. Sen. Soucy has fought for Granite Staters for her entire career – advocating for increasing the minimum wage, supporting law enforcement and first responders, addressing the opioid crisis, and most recently being a key leader in passing bipartisan bail reform. Congratulations again to Sen. Perkins Kwoka on her election and thank you to Senator Soucy for your years of dedicated service.”
Outgoing Senate President Jeb Bradley released the following comments: “The Senate President needs to be someone with a steady hand and common sense. Sharon Carson is the perfect choice. As the Majority Leader, she has had a big hand in helping to drive New Hampshire’s success over the past few years. Sharon is going to be a great leader for our state and our chamber.”
Also congratulating Carson was State Sen. Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead.
“The next two years are going to be critical for our state with a new Governor and a difficult budget. Sharon will be a unifying voice for the Senate and for our state. The voters of New Hampshire spoke loudly on Tuesday and I look forward to working with her to move our state’s priorities forward,” she said in a statement.
Also fellow Republican and State Sen. Tim Lang of Sanbornton said the Republicans are unified behind Carson “and we couldn’t be more excited to get to work. We have a strong mandate from the people of New Hampshire to continue down the path of low taxes, reducing government regulations and fiscally sound government. Sharon is going to be the leader that gets it done.”
Carson, who will turn 67 on Monday, has served in the Senate since 2008 and prior to that was a State Representative. She is currently chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Perkins Kwoka, 42, became the state’s first open woman member of the LGBTQ+ community to be elected to the state Senate in 2020 and is a lawyer who served on Election Law and Executive Departments and Administration committees in the Senate during this term.
