Manchester voters went to the polls on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 to cast their ballots for the Democratic and Republican nominees in various state and federal races. After a tour of the city’s 12 wards, here’s a recap of some points of interest discussed by candidates on the scene.
State Senate News
Lost in the hubbub around Joyce Craig’s early morning vote, representatives of the two campaigns vying for the seat in New Hampshire’s 16th State Senate District were on hand in Ward 1. While the Republican nomination was fairly certain, it remained unclear who the Democratic nominee would be.
Incumbent Republican Keith Murphy, a resident of Ward 1, sought votes in both primaries, as no Democrats filed for their party’s nomination in the district prior to the filing deadline. To this end, he sought to burnish bipartisan bonafides from his current term
“I have a history of working for affordable housing, expanded healthcare, and I work closely with my Democratic colleagues,” he said, adding that he was the only Republican senator in 2023 to vote for legalized marijuana and assisted suicide.
Retiring New Hampshire State Librarian and Goffstown resident Michael York announced a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination following the filing deadline. Murphy stated that York is a registered independent and has not stated where he stands on the issue. However, York supporter Bryce Kaw-uh disagreed with that assessment.
“I know that (York) stands for defending reproductive rights, supports public education and I know he’ll stand with Democratic values,” said Kaw-uh,” Like many in the state, he is undeclared, but he shares our values and decided to step up.”
Meanwhile in State Senate District 20, which covers Manchester’s west side and its northern wards outside of Ward 1, State Representative and Ward 3 Alderman Pat Long vied with Ward 2 Board of School Committee Member vied to take the mantle of incumbent Lou D’Allesandro after D’Allesandro announced he would not run again.
Both candidates in this race had nothing but respect for each other. Long sought to parlay his knowledge from decades of service to Manchester to continue D’Allesandro’s legacy while Parr wanted to expand advocacy work he had done at the state level on the Board of School Committee for Manchester’s schools.
Will Manchester continue to be a campaign attack point?
Cinde Warmington did poorly in the state’s biggest city due in large part to her attacks on former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig’s tenure, which some have construed as attacks on Manchester itself.
One of those people was former Alderman and outgoing State Representative Mary Heath, a Democrat from Ward 7. While she was a supporter of Warmington’s work on the executive council and that she would vote for whoever gets the Democratic nomination, Heath said she would have had to “hold her nose” to vote for Warmington in November.
“I haven’t spoken to (Warmington) about it, but the disparaging of the City of Manchester discourages me,” said Heath. “I think it’s one thing to go after candidates, but so many things have changed in Manchester for the better.”
Terrio’s predictions
Just a few feet away from Heath, Ward 7 Alderman and Executive Council Candidate Ross Terrio had a few predictions for November.
A Republican, Terrio believed that Vice President Kamala Harris would take New Hampshire’s electoral votes by three to five percentage points, Kelly Ayotte would become the state’s next governor, Republicans would retain the Executive Council and State Senate and the House of Representatives in Concord would be too close to call.
He also had a theory on why Ward 7’s turnout pattern appeared to be different than some other parts of the city where things were slow: the blue-collar nature of the ward. That blue-collar nature provided a more traditional pattern of turnout that saw spikes just before and after work, whereas other areas may have more varied work schedules.
“Secret Weapon” in Ward 12
Ward 12 Republican State Representative Steve Kesselring was at the polls with the endorsement and support of a celebrity: her daughter.
Ten-year-old Hannah Kesselring gained national notoriety for meeting numerous Republican Presidential Candidates and even was interviewed by national media for her various discussions with those candidates.
“There are a lot fewer people here at the polls. I remember during the Presidential Primary, there were a whole bunch of people here,” said Hannah, who noted that despite the lower number of people outside, the stream of voters was steady at Northwest Elementary School, the polling place for Ward 12.
Steve said that his daughter was one of the primary inspirations for his run and he finished second among the four candidates in both primaries with 517 votes. Jessica Grill, who came in first with 575 votes, said that she had saw a steady trickle all day. She also predicted that there will be far more voters come November.
“In primaries you obviously get the voters on either side who are the most engaged, the people who are most engaged already,” she said. “So most of the people I’ve seen are friends and neighbors, but I have seem a few people whose doors I’ve knocked on too, which is nice to see.”