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| NEW
HAMPSHIRE |
Nov. 8,
2016 U.S. Senate |
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Plurality: 1,017 votes (0.14 percentage points). NH Secretary of
State
DEMOCRATIC PICK-UP Notes: This was closest Senate race and second most expensive Senate race of the cycle. The final result was an advantage of just 1,017 votes (0.14 percentage points) for Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) over incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R). Aaron Day, the past chairman of The Free State Project running as an independent, and Libertarian Brian Chabot together tallied more than 30,000 votes (4.1%). Although many factors come to play in very close races, some analyses suggest Day's candidacy, launched in protest of Medicaid expansion, may have peeled off enough votes to cost Ayotte a second term (1, 2). The presidential race was likewise extremely close, as Clinton defeated Trump by just 2,736 votes (0.37 percentage points). The governor's race was also closely fought, but it went to the Republican by a fairly narrow margin. Not surprisingly with all these close races, voter turnout in New Hampshire was very high—over 70% of voting eligible population and the second or third highest of any state, depending on which measure one uses (>). Both Hassan and Ayotte emphasized instances of bipartisanship and working across the aisle. The unpopularity of Trump and Clinton at the top of the tickets exerted a drag on both the Senate candidates. There were six debates, three on live television, between Sept. 30 (>) and Nov. 2 (>). According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a total of $141.5 million was spent ($38.1 million by the campaigns and $103.3 million in outside spending). The FEC reported for 2015-16 the Hassan campaign made disbursements of $18.6 million compared to $14.9 million for the Ayotte campaign (>). Combined with the state's small population, the net result was most expensive U.S. Senate race per capita in American history. To give a sense of the intensity, Ayotte campaign manager Jon Kohan noted he "managed a $17.7 million budget and led a team of 35 full-time and over 200 part-time staff that raised over $14 million, served 130 million targeted impressions on TV and online, and made 1.3 million voter contacts in a state with roughly the same population." Campaign Managers: Maggie Hassan: Marc Goldberg Also campaign manager on Hassan's 2014 campaign. Communications director to Gov. Hassan, Jan. 2013-April 2014. Press secretary to Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Mar. 2011-Sept. 2012. Communications director to U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (FL), Jan. 2009-Jan. 2011. Press secretary on Tim Mahoney for Florida, Aug.-Nov. 2008. Account representative at MSHC Partners, Inc., July 2006-July 2008. Volunteer coordinator on Joe Hoeffel for Senate (PA), Jan.-Nov. 2004. B.A. in poltical science from University of Pennsylvania, 2006. Kelly Ayotte: Jon Kohan (June 2015) Deputy chief of staff to Sen. Joni Ernst (IA), Nov. 2014-June 2015. Campaign manager on Joni Ernst for U.S. Senate, June-Nov. 2014. Chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford (SC), May 2013-June 2014. Campaign manager on Sanford for Congress (SC) special election, Jan.-May 2013. Account executive at Jamestown Associates, 2011-12. Worked on campaigns in New Jersey and served as a staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives, 2005-11. B.A. in government from Georgetown University. New Jersey native. See also: --. "Beyond Senate Race, Outside Money Is Trickling Down Ballot to N.H. Democrats." NHPR, Nov. 7, 2016. Dante Scala. "Race for the Senate 2016: Key Issues in New Hampshire." Brookings Institution, Nov. 2, 2016. |
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