Shea-Porter Declares Victory in the 1st Congressional District

ROCHESTER, NH — Despite a left-flank challenge by a former Democrat turned independent, former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter will head back to Congress, winning back the seat she was ousted from in 2014, according to election returns. With 100 percent of the vote tabulated, Shea-Porter bested incumbent U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-NH, by less than 5,000 votes or 1 percent, 161,765 to 156,953, according to the Associated Press.

Shawn O’Connor, a self-proclaimed Bernie Sanders Democrat who ran as an independent after party leaders targeted him not to challenge Hassan in the U.S. Senate primary or Shea-Porter for Congress this year, too, received 34,356 votes.

Libertarian Robert Lombardo received nearly 7,000 votes while Brendan Kelly, a Republican turned independent who later endorsed O’Connor, received four votes shy of 6,000.

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“I am grateful to the voters of New Hampshire’s First District for electing me again to serve the good people of our district,” Shea-Porter said. “Since the beginning, I’ve worked to represent ‘The Rest of Us.’ That was our message during this campaign, and I am looking forward to working for the rest of us in Congress.”

Shea-Porter added that the American people needed to “move forward together and work with each other to restore the American Dream” after a brutal campaign season in 2016.

“My priorities haven't changed: I know we can build an economy that works for everyone, not just a few,” she added. “That’s why I’ll keep fighting for good, middle-class jobs. It's why I'll again support investing in medical research, infrastructure, clean air, safe drinking water, education, and safe communities. I was a military spouse and am grateful to my husband and all veterans for their service, and I am pleased that I can be an advocate again for our veterans, our military men and women, and their families.”

O’Connor – who had been polling over 15 percent in some polls, helping him to reach the self-imposed media threshold to participate in forums and debates – saw his support collapse on Election Day, ending up with 9 percent, despite an organized effort, often mocking the back and forth election losses and victories between Shea-Porter and Guinta during the last decade.

Guinta was hampered by a Federal Elections Commission campaign finance scandal concerning a personal loan he made to himself from an account controlled by his parents from 2010. He later reconciled the issue but was never able to overcome it, refusing to meet with the state’s largest newspaper during the campaign.

The Guinta campaign, at post time, had not issued a statement about the results.