This article has been updated to include a statement from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC).
Tuesday was not merely the Republican and Democratic primaries in New Hampshire, where Donald Trump and President Joe Biden each won, though the latter did so through a write-in campaign. There were also statewide special elections where Republicans won in Coos County. The GOP even flipped a blue seat red in the sixth district.
Sean Durkin was elected in Northumberland and Mike Murphy was elected in Gorham, NH Journal reported, which would give Republicans a majority of 200-195 majority in the state House of Representatives. It was Murphy who flipped the seat, beating out former state Rep. Edith Tucker.
NH Journal highlighted how Republican members cited the DNC's decision to upend the primary system by holding their first primary in South Carolina, which won't take place until February 3. New Hampshire decided to go ahead and hold their primaries on January 23 regardless, especially in accordance with state law. As the report mentioned:
Rep. Ross Berry (R-Manchester), who serves as vice chair of the Committee to Elect House Republicans, gave credit for the GOP victories to an adversary.
“I would like to thank President Joe Biden and his total disrespect of our First in the Nation Primary for these two wins. Granite Staters saw House Democrats bending the knee to Biden via an embarrassing write-in campaign,” Berry said. “Maybe next time they will pick New Hampshire over the DNC. But then again, probably not.”
The GOP wins, especially the flip, is certainly an embarrassment for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), especially as they had announced last month a "spotlight designation" for the two races. "Breaking the GOP trifecta in New Hampshire is a top priority for the DLCC," the announcement even noted. "Both the New Hampshire House and Senate are on the DLCC’s target map in 2024, and we’re taking every opportunity to build Democratic power and ultimately flip both chambers."
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Instead, New Hampshire Republicans are growing their majorities in the state House.
Meanwhile, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) has named New Hampshire a target state when it comes to defending control in both chambers of the state legislature, as was laid out in a 2024 memo this week.
"The DLCC put a giant spotlight on New Hampshire in 2024 and stumbled right out of the gate. This is a great sign for defending our GOP majorities in the Granite State this November," RSLC Spokesperson Stephanie Rivera said in a statement.
The DLCC reached out to Townhall with a statement, expressing concern with the timing as it noted that "[t]he special elections in New Hampshire last night were specifically held on the day of the Republican Primary to juice up Republican turnout and steal a seat. It should be concerning to Republicans that they nearly lost despite having 206,000 more voters in their primary last night." The statement also expressed a sense of optimism for 2024. "We're on track to break the Republican trifecta in New Hampshire in November. New Hampshire remains a top target for the DLCC in 2024," it continued.
Additional targets for the RSLC include "Defending Republican Strongholds" not only in New Hampshire, but also in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.
"The math is simple. There are 33 seats that will determine control of the nation. Republicans must flip 7 seats across 3 states to get back to control of 60 state legislative chambers, while Democrats must flip 33 seats across 5 states to have a simple majority of state legislative chambers," the explained noted when it comes to their targets for 2024.
Per the memo, the RSLC is also looking to reclaim majorities in Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
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