9/6/2010 12:16:06 PM
 
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Incumbents of both parties returned to state Senate seats


Sarah Palermo, Sentinel Staff
Published 11/5/2008

The N.H. Senate will be full of familiar faces for the next two years, as incumbents across the region from both parties won their races in Districts 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.

With only the small town of Windsor not yet reporting, Harold Janeway, D-Webster, had won with 14,043 votes to the 12,982 votes for Republican challenger Andy Sanborn of Henniker in District 7, which includes Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Harrisville, Hancock and Nelson.

Janeway, a former financial adviser, defeated former Senate majority leader Robert B. Flanders of Antrim by a wide margin in 2006.

“Clearly it was a much more negative campaign than I would have liked on my opponent’s part,” Janeway said. “The swings relative to two years ago were fairly significant. I was a little spoiled in my first race.”

He and Sanborn differed markedly on financial issues. Sanborn ran as an “everyman candidate,” saying general dissatisfaction with government inefficiency compelled him to run.

Janeway, however, has said he does not believe the state can meet all of its obligations within its current revenue structure.

“That doesn’t mean I would necessarily want to see an income tax, but it would be more fair than what we have now,” he has said.

Meanwhile, Robert P. Odell, R-Lempster, had a comfortable lead over Democrat James D. “Jay” Phinizy of Acworth in District 8 from early in the race.

District 8 covers the towns of Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Gilsum, Langdon, Marlow, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Walpole and Westmoreland, among others.

Odell’s large leads in New London (1,779-916) and Sunapee (1,381-580) secured his position.

“I led the ticket in many communities and for that I’m very appreciative,” Odell said.

“I think it’s a demonstration that there’s value to the kind of work that I do across party lines.

“Working with Gov. Lynch, we can make some progress,” he said. “I look forwardd to working again with Republicans, Democrats, House and Senate members to get some problems solved. The biggest problem is the budget, and we’ll take that on.”

Phinizy, a long-time state representative, won every town in Cheshire County except Gilsum, where he fell 40 votes behind Odell.

In District 11, Republican Peter Bragdon of Milford maintained his seat against Democratic challenger Stephen P. Spratt of Greenville.

Bragdon held a lead of 16,386 to Spratt’s 11,949 by midnight, buoyed mainly by large margins in Milford and Amherst. He carried seven of the 10 towns in the district.

Spratt won Peterborough by a margin of 2,056-1,429, Sharon by 123-103, and his hometown of Greenville, 471-404.

District 11 also includes the towns of Jaffrey and Rindge, among others.

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