From Speaker Norelli today: Dear Democratic Caucus Members, Members-Elect, and Future Representatives: Just like you, I am disappointed that we were not able to maintain our Democratic majority on Tuesday night, but I wanted to share my thanks and perspective as I step away from the NH House after 18 years. Firstly, thank you for stepping up and running for the House, and those of you who were successful, for serving the people of your district and the State of New Hampshire. While we may not have been able to withstand the Republican wave, I can truly say that we out-worked our opponents and the state is better off with your efforts. Secondly, I wanted to put Tuesday night in perspective for you. According to NCSL, Republicans now control at least 34 state houses across the country, while Democrats control only 14 (Colorado is still to be determined and Nebraska is non-partisan). Make no mistake, this wave was driven by national feeling of discontent and is fairly typical in the 6th year of a President. And while NH did stop the wave by re-electing Gov. Hassan, Sen. Shaheen, and Congresswoman Kuster, the bottom of the ballot races did feel the effects. But, even though we are disappointed with the results in the State House, I still feel optimistic about where we are headed. We have won majorities in the House in 3 of the last 5 elections, something that has not happened since before the Civil War. And while we are in the minority for the next 2 years, we have the largest Democratic minority since the 1970s. What this means is that we are in a great position to retake control of the House in 2016. For comparison, we needed to pick up 54 seats to win the majority in 2006; 99 seats to win the majority in 2012; but in 2016, we only need about 40. And at the local level, we can be proud to say that while we did lose many great members, we picked up seats that we lost in 2012, including seats in Cheshire, Grafton, Merrimack, and Hillsborough counties. And we won in tough areas of the state, including at least 3 seats in Carroll County, which generally only happens in good Democratic years. What this means to me is that Democrats are continuing to expand our reach in the state and making progress even in tough years for Democrats. To our members-elect and returning members, I wish you good luck in the coming term. Remember that we only win majorities if we stand up for our Democratic values and push back on the Republican majorities. Gov. Hassan is going to need your help to stop legislation that hurts our working families and rolls back the progress Democrats have made. And to those who were not successful on Election Day, it is my sincere hope that you continue to stay engaged. 2016 will be a much different political climate and much more favorable to Democratic candidates. Whether you decide to run again or not, we need your help to stay active with the Democratic caucus, the Committee to Elect House Democrats, and your local Democratic committees to ensure that we hold the Republicans accountable over the next two years and prepare to work to win the majority again in 2016. Again, thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Sincerely, Terie Norelli Speaker of the House
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 23:01:36 +0000
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