Democrats prevailed in a special election Tuesday for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, flipping a seat that Republicans had held in a district that favored President Trump in the 2024 election.
Democrat Bobbi Boudman beat Republican Dale Fincher by about 3.9 percentage points in Carroll County District 7, which includes the towns of Wolfeboro, Tuftonboro, and Ossipee, according to unofficial results.
That outcome, though hyperlocal and based on fewer than 4,300 votes, is feeding into broader political messaging ahead of the midterm elections.
Ken Martin, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, released a statement praising Boudman for running a campaign that focused on solving problems around rising costs and the health care impacts of Trump’s signature 2025 spending law.
“This win is yet another warning sign to Republicans across the country,” Martin said, “and a new reality is now sinking in: no Republican seat is safe.”
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said Boudman’s win marked the 28th time that Democratic candidates had flipped state legislative seats since Trump’s election.
“These wins aren’t a flash in a pan — together, they tell an undeniable story of Democratic momentum as voters reject Republicans and blame them for soaring costs," Williams said, adding that the DLCC is “only just getting started.”
Fincher conceded to Boudman in a statement Tuesday night thanking his supporters.
“We put in our best effort but couldn’t come up with the numbers,” he said. “Liberty and goodness lives on with all of us. The work continues.”
Boudman’s special election victory comes after she lost this seat to incumbent Republican State Representative Glenn Cordelli by 13.7 percentage points in the 2024 election, when down-ballot GOP candidates benefited from broader dissatisfaction with then-President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
Cordelli, an influential conservative who often focused on topics related to education policy, resigned in November 2025 as supporters said he had decided to move to Texas, setting the stage for Tuesday’s special election.
Although two other Republican candidates — Dallas Emery Jr. and Seamas P. Oscalaidhe — had stepped forward to compete for Cordelli’s seat, Fincher won the GOP nomination in January with a write-in campaign. Boudman, meanwhile, was the only Democratic candidate in the running.
Despite their win, Democrats will remain the minority party in New Hampshire government. They held 177 seats in the House prior to this election, while Republicans held 214 seats. Republicans also hold a super-majority in the 24-member New Hampshire Senate, a majority on the five-person Executive Council, and the governor’s office.
Even so, Republican State Senator Victoria Sullivan of Manchester, who supported Fincher’s campaign, said the special election results add to the warning signs for her party.
In a series of social media posts, Sullivan said Republicans need to “stop infighting,” and she expressed concern about some GOP voters seeming apathetic while political energy to their left is growing.
“I keep warning you all that these No Kings rallies are not a joke,” she wrote. “They are practicing how to get out their base.”
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.