Jeanne Shaheen’s second Senate bid turned out far better for her than her first, with the former New Hampshire governor defeating incumbent Sen. John E. Sununu in a rematch of 2002.
Shaheen, a Democrat from Madbury who served as the Granite State’s chief executive from 1997 to 2003, received 52 percent of the vote, with 85 percent of the state’s precincts reporting.
That put her atop Sununu, a Republican from Waterville Valley, who came in second place with 45 percent of the vote. Libertarian Kenneth E. Blevens of Bow finished in a distant third with 3 percent.
Shaheen dominated voting in the Monadnock Region, receiving 31,516 votes to Sununu’s 19,737 and winning in 30 of 31 communities. Only Rindge, by a 1,586 to 1,514 margin, went for Sununu.
Six years ago, Sununu, who had previously served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, beat Shaheen, 51 percent to 46 percent.
This year, less than two hours after polls closed, Sununu conceded the race. Shortly thereafter, Shaheen, New Hampshire’s first female governor, celebrated a win that will make her the state’s first female senator.
“The people of New Hampshire spoke at the ballot box and they said loud and clear: They want a new direction,” Shaheen said.
“New Hampshire voters said they want a senator who will be a strong, independent voice. New Hampshire voters said they want a senator who will stand up to the special interests, a senator who will fight for middle-class families. I am going to be that senator.”
Though the presidential election had not been officially decided by that point, Shaheen said she was looking forward to working with President-elect Barack Obama “to change the direction of this country, to get our economy back on track, to expand affordable health care, to free us from foreign oil and to end this misguided war in Iraq.
“But make no mistake, I will never hesitate to disagree with my party or the president to do what’s right for New Hampshire,” she said.
Said Sununu in his concession speech: “There’s nothing more exciting than going out and making your case, conducting a campaign and then letting the voters speak.
“Unfortunately the voters spoke and we didn’t have quite enough votes,” he said. “But the fact remains: This is a privilege to participate in the democratic process. This is what America is all about.”
Both candidates made energy and the economy the key issues of their campaigns. Each proposed several measures to move the United States away from its dependence on foreign oil, though they differed on how to do this.
Shaheen tied Sununu to the policies and presidency of George W. Bush, while Sununu spoke of his record as senator, including several instances of his votes going against his party’s positions.
Shaheen’s victory was a product of a stronger ground campaign, according to Jennifer Donahue, political director for the N.H. Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester.
“She was more active from an earlier date, and she had a very clear economic vision that she was able to present,” Donahue said. “He started the active phase of his campaign pretty late. It was really about Labor Day that he really went for it. She’d already been out there a good half-year really campaigning on a day-to-day basis.
“The tightness of the race, the fierceness of the race, I would not have been surprised for it to have been even closer. But I think she got through to voters. She’s coming out of it as she went into it. She comes out having engaged the voters. She outworked her opponent.”
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