NH News Recap for Sept. 22, 2023: Special election narrows the already tight partisan split in the House

N.H. News Recap

Democrats won a seat in the New Hampshire House in a special election Tuesday. Democrat Hal Rafter’s victory in Northwood means the Republicans’ majority in the New Hampshire House is down to just one seat.

Voters in Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city, picked their top two choices for mayor this week. Republican Jay Ruais and Democrat Kevin Cavanaugh will face off in the November general election. The city's elections are technically nonpartisan, but party politics still inevitably play a role.

We discuss these stories and more in this edition of the New Hampshire News Recap.

Guests:

• Andrew Sylvia, Manchester Ink Link
• Josh Rogers, NHPR

Top stories from around New Hampshire this week:

AG investigation finds NH lawmaker lived outside of his district for more than a year

Former Rep. Troy Merner claimed there are “multiple” other state lawmakers also living outside their districts but declined to provide details or evidence.

In NH swing, Haley looks for momentum — and consensus — from Republican voters

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley used the first stops on her two-day trip to New Hampshire to stress that supporting Ukraine’s resistance to Russia is vital to America’s national security, emphasize that the GOP’s future needn’t involve Donald Trump, and suggest that abortion policies don’t have to be a pitched battle.

High cost of living in NH drives more people to get welfare assistance for the first time

Local welfare administrators say high rental, child care and utility costs in New Hampshire are driving an increase in first-time and elderly clients seeking assistance.

How undocumented immigrants in NH make a living without the right to drive

This summer, neighboring Massachusetts became the fourth state in New England to grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. In New Hampshire, not having that simple form of ID weighs on thousands of people, complicating work and family life.

More New Hampshire headlines:

• Tuesday’s victorious mayoral candidates begin laying groundwork for general election
• Fall foliage is coming. But this summer’s rain makes peak color a bit less predictable.
• Buddy Teevens, longtime Dartmouth College football coach, dies at 66
• Culverts, climate change and the future of NH’s Seacoast
• Antisemitic graffiti found at Laconia State School; NH Attorney General and FBI investigating
• Dusty painting purchased for $4 at Manchester, NH thrift store sells at auction for $150,000