Progressive Rep. Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter, won an overwhelming 200-75 victory to become the top House Democrat, putting a longtime advocate of the party's liberal agenda on track to lead its new supermajority.
The Exeter rep defeated Rep. Jim Maggiore, D-North Hampton, as her fellow Democrats gave her a decisive mandate over a challenger whose willingness to break with his party had become an issue in the race.
Simpson voted with her party 99% of the time during the 2025-26 term, according to Citizens Count.
"I am deeply honored that my colleagues have placed their trust in me to serve as their nominee for speaker of the New Hampshire House," Simpson said in a statement. "House Democrats are ready to govern and serve every Granite Stater, no matter their political party or affiliation."
Progressives could not have been more pleased.
"Congratulations to Rep. Simpson on securing the Democratic nomination for Speaker of the House!" posted the liberal activist group 603 Forward. "A longtime friend and champion of 603 Forward, Alexis has shown what strong, steady leadership looks like."
The full House will elect its speaker Dec. 2. Given the size of the Democratic majority, Simpson is the presumptive successor to Republican Speaker Sherman Packard.
Republicans tapped Rep. Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, as their caucus leader. He's already warning that Democrats will try to overturn popular measures passed by the GOP majority, like the local property tax cap.
Simpson told reporters after Thursday's vote that her priority is affordability.
"We know that people are struggling, needing lower property taxes, needing more affordable housing, needing to lower the cost of child care, and to find accessible, affordable child care throughout the state," she told reporters after the vote. "So those are just a few things that we will be working on."
What that agenda means for taxpayers, school choice, and the state's business climate will be central questions as Simpson prepares to negotiate a budget with Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte.
Her record offers some clues.
Simpson voted against HB 1300, which put the local school property tax cap question before voters, and she opposed the latest reduction in the business enterprise tax rate. She also opposed eliminating the income tax on interest and dividends and has expressed support for bringing it back.
She has also backed legislation to allow more housing, including accessory dwelling units and conversions of single-family homes into two units. Those votes, along with her support for the state's Housing Champions program, reflect her argument that government should do more to address the housing shortage.
The contrast with Maggiore was partly ideological and partly about how Democrats should govern.
A former Republican candidate for state Senate, Maggiore has crossed party lines on measures including Medicaid work requirements and tighter voter identification rules. He also supported ending the annual vehicle inspection mandate and voted to table a minimum wage bill. He also argued that the new majority needed more consultation, transparency and collaboration within its leadership.
Simpson acknowledged the criticism.
"I am going to spend some more time thinking about that, for sure," Simpson said after the vote. She maintained that she has "always had a collaborative approach" and pledged to "make an extra special effort to reach out to those who have felt that way."
Republicans were already raising questions about her record.
"We will be watching this new leadership closely. Protecting the New Hampshire Advantage should be their top priority, and we expect them to uphold the policies that have made New Hampshire successful," NHGOP Chairman Scott Maltzie said.
Simpson's legislative career began with her election in 2014. During that session, former Republican House Speaker Bill O'Brien noted that she backed Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan's decision to veto the entire budget rather than pass business tax cuts. After an extended impasse, a budget deal was finally reached in September. Simpson, who voted against the original budget, didn't cast a vote on the compromise budget.
"I recall back in 2015 when we were struggling with a Democrat governor to cut taxes for the people of New Hampshire and to meet our obligation to provide a balanced budget, Rep. Alexis Simpson was walking away from the important votes," O'Brien said.
Simpson became deputy Democratic leader in 2022 and Democratic leader in 2024.
Simpson described the caucus as "a big tent even when we were a smaller caucus, and so we have experience with ideological diversity that we'll lean on."
Thursday's vote showed where the center of power inside that tent now rests.
This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.
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