By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
WOLFEBORO – After Republicans put in big bucks to hold on to a reliably strong area for them, voters in Wolfeboro, Tuftonboro and Ossipee elected a Democrat at a special election for House Representatives in District 7, Tuesday.
It got national attention from the Democratic Party and had others thinking of the implications ahead as the November election nears.
Democrat Bobbi Boudman was elected over Republican Dale Fincher to fill a seat left by the vacancy created when arch-conservative Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro moved to Texas.
She won by a collective 161 votes during town meeting elections in three towns which usually has less turnout than a general election and where Republicans were more likely to win.
There were more Republicans who voted in the special primary. Boudman was unopposed and took 615 votes.
Fincher won the primary with 771 votes over Dallas Emery Jr. with 223 votes and Seamas Oscalaidhe with 77 votes.
This makes the House split of Republicans-Democrats-Independents 214-178-1 with seven vacancies.
Boudman was an unsuccessful candidate for the same seat in 2024 and 2022.
In her Facebook Page after the election she wrote: “You showed up and you did it and I am so so, so proud to be part of this community. You just showed that no matter how many tens of thousands of dollars are spent on our local elections, that we the people will prevail and goodness will prevail and our liberty for all will prevail….don’t give up yet, because we still have November. We know he is not going away,” she said of Fincher.
Fincher thanked his supporters on X, formerly Twitter, after the votes were counted:
“Big thanks to all my supporters and the local support. We put in our best effort but couldn’t come up with the numbers. Liberty and goodness lives on with all of us. The work continues,” Fincher said.
When official elections results are listed by the Secretary of State’s office they will be here https://www.sos.nh.gov/carroll-county-district-7-march-10-2026
According to finance documents filed so far for that election, with another report still due, Republicans spent more than $60,000 to elect Fincher, who raised his own more than $25,000 to get elected to the job that pays $100 a year and will be over by the end of this year.
Boudman will be up for re-election in November.
While election tallies are unofficial, it appears Boudman won with 2,207 to Fincher’s 2,043. A recount could be requested but is not likely given the margin of the win.
House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson sent an email with “Congratulations to Bobbi Boudman on an incredible victory in today’s special election. Today’s results make one thing clear: Granite Staters are fed up with New Hampshire Republicans’ extremist agenda that does nothing to lower costs for working families. House Democrats are fighting every day for our Fair Chance Agenda and we’re excited to have Bobbi join us in Concord.”