Mixed Turnout In Competitive 2024 New Hampshire Primary Election

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Van Ostern said his pitch was New Hampshire deserved a leader in Washington “who was in it for us.” He called the race “exciting” but would not predict the result. When asked if there was anything he would have done differently, Van Ostern did not answer. He was pleased to get every district mayor’s endorsement and thankful for the hundreds of people holding signs and supporting his campaign.

After essentially scaring off competition for the open seat after Kuster and others endorsed him, which some likened to a coronation, Van Ostern had to fend off a multi-million dollar effort by Maggie Goodlander, a native of Nashua, who had not lived in the district for many years and owned property in Portsmouth, which is located in the 1st Congressional District, earning her a carpetbagger moniker.

Around 8:30 a.m., 160 voters had cast ballots in Ward 5. By 4:30 p.m., close to 1,100 participated.

Goodlander did not respond to requests from Patch about her plans on Election Day.

At the Ward 1 polls in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon, state Sen. Keith Murphy, a Republican, left, and state Rep. Christine Seibert, a Democrat, left, stand outside. When the photo was taken, Republican candidates Kelly Ayotte and Chuck Morse had no signs or presence at the polls. Credit: Jeffrey Hastings

Vikram Mansharamani, one of more than a dozen Republicans also seeking the open 2nd Congressional District seat, dropped by Ward 10 to speak with voters.

Mansharamani said his message was resonating with voters, including a diverse collection of Republicans and undeclareds around the district, including a lot of endorsements. Rather than talking a lot, he said he started by listening and then worked to create solutions to fix the problems in Washington instead of just complaining about them.

“That’s what I think voters want,” he said. “It’s pretty simple. And so that’s what we are doing.”

Of the top tier of candidates in 2024, Mansharamani said he was the only lifelong Republican, which also appeared to be making a difference in the field.

Another hot race in Bow, Concord, and Hopkinton was the open District 15 state Senate race, which turned nasty in the waning days.

Angela Brennan, a selectwoman from Bow and first-term state Representative, sent out a shocking mailer as well as posted online ads with a doctored photo of County Commissioner Tara Reardon, the wife of former Concord Mayor Jim Bouley. The image was darkened, ala the controversial TIME Magazine O.J. Simpson mugshot, almost making Reardon look like the emperor of the Star Wars saga.

In her attack, Brennan claimed a new bill aimed at limiting conflicts of interests between elected officials and lobbying, HB 1388, which takes effect in January 2025, would require Reardon to recuse herself from anything Bouley was working on as a lobbyist. Rebecca McWilliams, another state representative and attorney from Concord also vying for the seat, requested an interpretive ruling from the Legislative Ethics Committee in late August. The committee plans to meet about the issue later this month.

In materials fending off the attack, the campaign said the Office of Legislative Services said Reardon could “vote on everything.”

At the polls, Reardon said the move by Brennan was “unfortunate” and something she had never seen in a Democrat primary. The race, she said, was no place for that kind of personalizing of attacks and misrepresenting facts and “reality.” Reardon said, unsolicited, the campaign received a boost in fundraising, outreach, and letters denouncing the mailers and ads from her supporters.

“The consensus was, there’s no place for that in our politics here,” she said. “That’s unnecessary.”

The candidate said the public had “real concerns,” especially about housing, the economy, and abortion rights. She was also happy with her race.

“I think the voters were ready to vote, in this case,” she said.

After the primary, she said, there will be time for more campaigning and outreach to voters.

Over at Ward 10, McWilliams was hanging out with supporters and was confident about her race. She said she left it all on the field and did everything they could to win.

“I think we ran a great campaign for four months,” she said.

McWilliams said she was flattered by some of the things she heard during the campaign, including a media outlet mentioning the women involved in the race could easily be future gubernatorial candidates. A group chat between her and her campaign staff at all 12 polling locations, where they shared pictures and thoughts, also kept things lively.

“That is keeping us buoyed and feeling good today,” McWilliams said. “Everyone has been so supportive … it’s just fun.”

McWilliams said there was little she would have done differently. More money would have been good. But the campaign “played out in a unique way” and allowed voters to get to know her.

“It allowed me to be myself,” she said.

A photo of an ad on the author’s Facebook feed, paid for by Angela Brennan, featured a darkened photo of one of her two opponents, Tara Reardon. Credit: Tony Schinella

McWilliams was critical of the ad, saying the women should not be attacking each other, especially since they were essentially on the same team, but got flak for it. The picture, she said, distracted from the ethics issue and the voter’s interpretation of the law.

“It was unfortunate,” she said.

Brennan did not respond to a request by Patch on where she would be on Election Day.

The winner faces off against Republican Pam Ean, who ran unopposed.

Another of the state’s hottest Senate races was in District 23, between incumbent Bill Gannon and challenger Emily Phillips.

The polls outside the James Mastricola Elementary School in Merrimack on Tuesday morning. Credit: Jeffrey Hastings

Mike Liberty, a Democrat running for the District 2 Executive Council seat, considered a safe Democrat hold, was also at Ward 10 campaigning for votes.

He was pleased with the great team the campaign put together, although there were many small things he would have done differently. It is always about “building a system that works.” His business background allowed him to pivot and fix things if needed. People are fallible, he said, and anything can be improved, including mistakes.

If he or his opponent, Karen Liot Hill of Lebanon, wins, it will be the first time since 2011 that a non-Concord resident has held the seat.

“I’m excited to jump in,” Liberty said.

Hill did not respond to an invitation by Patch to be covered during her race.

New Hampshire Results

19% to 36% Reporting. Updated at 8:44 p.m. on Sept. 10. * AP predicted winner

Governor (Democrat)

Joyce Craig 20,154

Cinde Warmington 19,796

Jon Kiper 4,434

Governor (Republican)

Kelly Ayotte 23,360 *

Chuck Morse 10,041

Frank Staples 368
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Robert McClory 233

Shaun Fife 228

Richard McMenamon II 132

1st Congressional District (Democrat)

Chris Pappas 22,167 *

Kevin Rondeau 1,174

1st Congressional District (Republican)

Joseph Kelly Levasseur 5,328

Hollie Noveletsky 4,977

Russell Prescott 4,918

Chris Bright 2,639

Walter McFarlane III 1,795

Max Abramson 745

Andy Martin 508

2nd Congressional District (Democrat)

Maggie Goodlander 12,620

Colin Van Ostern 8,010

2nd Congressional District (Republican)

Lily Tang Williams 3,327

Vikram Mansharamani 3,172

Bill Hamlen 2,042

Paul Wagner 382

William Harvey 341

Randall Clark 317

Casey Crane 311

Jay Mercer 294

Jason Riddle 158

Robert D’Arcy 115

Michael Anthony Callis 114

Tom Alciere 99

Gerard Beloin 91

District 2 Executive Council (Democrat)

Karen Liot Hill 8,970

Mike Liberty 6,922

District 2 Executive Council (Republican)

Kim Stathdee 3,104

Mary Rose Deak 2,424

District 4 Executive Council (Republicans)

John Stephen 2,650

Robert Burns 1,244

Ross Terrio 608

Terese Bastarache 593

John Reagan 519

Ryan Terrell 216

District 5 Executive Council (Democrat)

Melanie Levesque 1,376

Shoshanna Kelly 881

District 15 State Senate (Democrat)

Tara Reardon 3,056

Rebecca McWilliams 2,666

Angela Brennan 1,737

District 20 State Senate (Democrat)

Pat Long 1,161

Sean Parr 398

District 23 State Senate (Republican)

Bill Gannon 1,257

Emily Phillips 552

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