Democrats managed to flip a Republican-held swing seat in New Hampshire on Tuesday, jeopardizing the GOP majority in the state House.
Democrat Hal Rafter defeated Republican Jim Guzofski in Rockingham County’s 1st District, which former President Donald Trump won by a slim margin in 2020, with 56 percent of the vote, according to Newsweek. The seat opened up when the Republican incumbent resigned for medical reasons, triggering a special election, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Vast Majority Of Voters Think Biden Is ‘Too Old’ To Run For Reelection: POLL)
The Democrat victory reduces the Republican majority in the New Hampshire House to just one seat. https://t.co/oHojJWpMZL
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 20, 2023
Rafter’s victory means that the GOP majority in the NH state House will fall to just a one seat, the outlet observed. Democrats are expected to win another special election, scheduled for Nov. 7, to fill a vacant seat in a heavily blue district, thereby creating a tie in the state house, ABC reported. After that election, the chamber will have two vacancies left — one previously held by a Democrat and one by a Republican — and two independents, one a former Republican and one a former Democrat.
New Hampshire Democrats described Guzofski in Sept. 5 memo as “an ultraconservative political fanatic.” Mr. Guzofski has a theology degree from the Baptist Bible College East and is a longtime pastor, according to Ballotpedia. Guzofski argued, in a video from Oct. 17, 2021, that the 2020 election was “illegitimate” and alleged the existence of a conspiracy to “shut down those prophets that said the election was stolen.”
In the lead-up to Tuesday’s election, Guzofski railed against the influence of “outsider” money in the race, Newsweek noted. Guzofski raised less than $500, while Rafter raised over $46,000, per the outlet.