A seismic shift in the Legislature

Good Morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Thursday. Today, Ethan DeWitt reports on a major power shift in the state Legislature. Also, William Skipworth looks at Democrats’ domination of Executive Council races on Tuesday. And, from States Newsroom’s Jacob Fischler, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance cite their Iran war as the cause of Republicans’ heavy losses in the midterm elections. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the day. — Dana

By Ethan DeWitt

It was clear by Wednesday morning that New Hampshire House Democrats looked set to not just take back the chamber but to clear a two-thirds supermajority; a preliminary estimate by the House clerk counted 291 Democrats, 108 Republicans, and one independent representative, though those totals could change after recounts. Senate Democrats were on track to win either 15 or 16 seats in the 24-seat Senate. In a span of hours, the staggering scale of victory changed how state Democrats are looking at the next two years.

By William Skipworth

For years, New Hampshire’s Executive Council has been controlled by Republicans with a 4-1 majority, election after election. However, that changed Tuesday. The “blue wave” that brought Democrats big wins in Congress and the state Legislature also flowed to the Executive Council. That 4-1 Republican majority council is set to become a 5-0 Democratically controlled council next year after a shocking election result.

By Jacob Fischler

Vice President JD Vance said in a lengthy social media post Wednesday that Republicans’ shellacking in the midterm elections the night before was mainly due to the administration’s war in Iran. Though Vance sought to soften the blow to President Donald Trump by ascribing the same opinion to the president, the post was an unusual public distancing by a sitting vice president and marked a significant first step in a post-Trump Republican political landscape that Vance will likely seek to lead.