Change may have been a recurring theme this election season, but voters in the Monadnock Region chose Tuesday to keep the landscape of the N.H. House much the same.

According to early results — with 38 of 39 communities reporting — all of the incumbent candidates in the 11 Monadnock Region races were re-elected to their seats and Democrats retained their majority.

For the second election in a row, Democrats swept all seven seats in Keene.

The top Democratic vote-getter in the district, Charles F. “Chuck” Weed, received 7,573 votes — more than double the amount tallied by Maureen Benik Metivier, the Republican who received the most votes, 3,614.

“It was a learning experience for me,” said Metivier, who was a first-time candidate. “We did pretty well, considering what we were up against.”

“It’s been interesting,” she said. “It’s been fun. I might do it again.”

Republican David E. Harvey, who received 3,019 votes, said he was hoping to do a little better, but wasn’t surprised by the results, as the city tends to lean Democratic.

“I was running in Keene,” Harvey said. “Do I need to say more?”

“As I told everyone ever since I ran, I’m not going to reserve a room in Concord yet,” he said.

Other Democrats landing seats in Keene were: incumbent Kris E. Roberts, 6,851 votes; incumbent Suzanne Butcher, 6,468 votes; incumbent Timothy N. Robertson, 6,366 votes; David R. Meader, 6,313 votes; Steven W. Lindsey, 6,309 votes; and incumbent Delmar D. Burridge, 5,547 votes.

Roberts, who is entering his third term, said he expected at least six of the seats would go to Democrats, but hadn’t counted on his own win until all the ballots were in.

“It’s one of those things where I never take anything for granted,” Roberts said. “After getting beat for the (Keene Board of Education) one time, I always wait for the final results to celebrate.”

First-time House candidate Lindsey said he was also cautious about declaring victory too early.

Lindsey said he worked hard to keep a high profile leading into the election, which helped build support for him.

But, he added, it didn’t hurt that dismay with the current administration buoyed his party to power.

“I’m part of a turn in history,” Lindsey said, citing the national Democratic sweep.

“I’m way down on the lower end of that turn.”

In addition to Metivier and Harvey, the other Republicans on the ticket were Peter Benik, 3,461 votes; Arto A. Leino, 2,980 votes; William K. Chaffee Jr., 2,949 votes; Dillon A. Benik, 2,839 votes; and Varrin Swearingen, 2,291 votes.

Metivier and Peter Benik are siblings and Dillon Benik is their nephew.

In Hillsborough District 3, a four-seat district that covers Greenville, New Ipswich, Peterborough and Sharon, incumbents Andrew “Andy” R. Peterson, Anne-Marie Irwin and Janet “Jill” Shaffer Hammond were re-elected.

Also elected to represent the district was Democrat Peter R. Leishman, who moved to Peterborough this year from Milford and had served four terms as a state representative for Hillsborough District 6. He received 2,947 votes.

Peterson, a Peterborough Republican who pulled in 3,959 votes — the most in the district — said he looks forward to continuing his work in the House.

“The problems we’re facing are significant and I hope my experience and some of the ideas I campaigned on will be helpful in finding solutions,” said Peterson, who will be serving his fifth House term. He also served as a state senator from 2002 to 2004.

Peterson said he thinks he’ll be able to work well with the Democrats elected.

“I’m used to working across the aisle in a bipartisan fashion,” he said.

Irwin, a Peterborough Democrat who received 3,748 votes, and Hammond, a Peterborough Democrat who received 3,156 votes, were re-elected.

Losing their bids for election in the district were Peterborough Democrat Regina Vorce (2,581 votes), Greenville Republican Ronald S. Scaccia (2,388 votes) and Dana A. Glow, an undeclared candidate from New Ipswich (1,523 votes).

Other House results were:

► Cheshire District 1

John J. “Jack” Laurent, a Westmoreland Republican who served four terms in the House before being ousted in 2006, beat Westmoreland Democrat Marjorie Merena for the one-seat Gilsum, Surry, Westmoreland district in a vote of 1,027 to 876.

► Cheshire District 2

Democratic incumbents Daniel A. Eaton of Stoddard (2,976 votes), Tara Sad of Walpole (2,862 votes) and Lucy McVitty Weber of Walpole (2,795 votes) edged out Stoddard Republican Fred Ward (2,002 votes) in the district.

The three-seat district covers Alstead, Marlow, Nelson, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan and Walpole.

► Cheshire District 4

Three Democratic incumbents, William Butynski of Hinsdale (3,372 votes), Henry A.L. Parkhurst of Winchester (3,352 votes) and Tim Butterworth of Chesterfield (3,319 votes), were all re-elected. Daniel P. Carr, a Winchester Democrat, was also elected (2,854 votes).

They beat out Republicans Edwin “Smokey” Smith of Hinsdale (2,227 votes) and Denis Murphy of Winchester (1,616 votes) in the district, which covers Chesterfield, Hinsdale and Winchester.

► Cheshire District 5

Democratic incumbent Barbara Hull Richardson of Richmond ran unopposed and won the one-seat Fitzwilliam-Richmond district with 1,184 votes.

► Cheshire District 6

Swanzey Democrats Nancy L. Carlson (3,519 votes) and incumbent Alfred “Gus” Lerandeau (3,450 votes) were the top two vote-getters in the district, which covers Harrisville, Marlborough, Swanzey and Troy.

Incumbents Peter H. Allen, a Harrisville Democrat (3,166 votes), and Swanzey Republican Jane B. Johnson (2,773 votes) retained their seats in the four-seat district.

Anthony J. Dubois 3rd, a Democrat from Swanzey (2,750), Judson K. Dexter, a Swanzey Republican (2,480 votes), and Douglas H. Lyman, a Troy Republican (2,019 votes), lost.

► Cheshire District 7

Incumbents John B. Hunt, a Rindge Republican (3,733 votes); Bonnie Mitchell, a Jaffrey Democrat (3,583 votes) and Susan Emerson, a Rindge Republican (3,395 votes), were re-elected. Franklin W. Sterling Jr., a Jaffrey Republican (3,038 votes), also won election to the four-seat Dublin-Jaffrey-Rindge district.

William J. Shea, a Rindge Republican (2,753 votes) and Keith D. Halloran, a Rindge Democrat (2,671 votes), were not elected.

► Hillsborough District 1

With the small town of Windsor not yet reporting, Democratic incumbents Ron Mack of Hancock (3,164 votes) and Gilman “Gil” Shattuck of Hillsboro (2,852 votes) were in a comfortable position in the three-seat Antrim-Hancock-Hillsboro-Windsor district.

Philip Harvey, a Hillsboro Democrat, (2,475 votes) was in third, ahead of Republicans Robert B. Flanders of Antrim (2,375 votes), Robert A. Fredette of Hillsboro (1,956 votes) and David N. Fullerton of Hillsboro (1,666 votes).

► Hillsborough District 2

Democratic incumbents Catriona Beck of Bennington (1,740 votes) and Claudia A. Chase (1,682 votes) were re-elected in the two-seat district, which covers Bennington, Deerfield, Francestown and Greenfield.

They beat Republicans Lori J. O’Brien of Bennington (1,643 votes) and Dario A. Carrara of Greenfield (1,489 votes).

► Sullivan District 5

Democrats James McClammer (2,890 votes) and Cynthia P. Sweeney (1,461 votes with a question remaining about her Langdon total), both of Charlestown, won election in the two-seat Acworth-Charleston-Langdon district.

They beat fellow Charlestown residents Republicans Steven Smith (1,028 votes) and Russell Pope (964 votes), and Lois M. Corcoran, an undeclared candidate (259 votes).


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