New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district
New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district
	New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district since January 3, 2013
Representative
	Ann McLane Kuster; D–Hopkinton
Distribution	51.05% urban; 48.95% rural;
Population (2020)	669,792
Median household; income	$76,368
Ethnicity	87.0% White; 4.3% Hispanic; 3.6% Asian; 2.2% Black; 1.0% other;
Cook PVI	D+1

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district covers the western, northern, and some southern parts of New Hampshire. It includes the state's second-largest city, Nashua, as well as the state capital, Concord.

Although the district appears rural, it is classified by the Census Bureau as a majority-urban district, since a large share of the district's population lies within more densely populated areas in Hillsborough, Rockingham, and Merrimack counties.

The district is home to the Dartmouth College, the state's 2nd largest college.

Some of the largest employers in the district are Dartmouth Hitchcock, Dartmouth College, Southern New Hampshire Health System, and BAE Systems.

It is currently represented in the United States House of Representatives by Democrat Ann McLane Kuster.

Cities and towns currently in the district[]

The district includes:

the town of Center Harbor in Belknap County
all of Cheshire County
all of Coos County
all of Grafton County, except the town of Campton
all of Hillsborough County, except the communities of Bedford, Goffstown, Manchester, and Merrimack
all of Merrimack County, except the town of Hooksett
the towns of Atkinson, Deerfield, Northwood, Salem, and Windham in Rockingham County
all of Sullivan County

Until 1847, New Hampshire's representatives were elected at large, from the entire state, and not from districts. Districts began being used in the 1847 elections.

Until the 1878 elections, New Hampshire elected its members of the United States House of Representatives in March of the odd-numbered years. That would be too late for the beginning of the March 4 term, but the first session of the House typically didn't start until December; so, a March election wasn't a problem.

The district currently includes Dartmouth College, and all of its representatives since 1995 (Bass, Hodes, and Kuster) have been Dartmouth alumni.

List of members representing the district[]

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District organized from New Hampshire's at-large congressional district – March 4, 1847
Charles H. Peaslee	Democratic	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853	30th 31st 32nd	Elected late on March 9, 1847. Re-elected late on March 13, 1849. Re-elected late on March 11, 1851. Retired.
George W. Morrison	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected late on March 8, 1853. Lost re-election.
Mason Tappan	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th	Elected late on March 13, 1855. Re-elected late on March 10, 1857. Re-elected late on March 8, 1859. Retired.
Mason Tappan	Republican	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861	35th 36th
Edward H. Rollins	Republican	March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1867	37th 38th 39th	Elected late on March 12, 1861. Re-elected late on March 10, 1863. Re-elected late on March 14, 1865. Retired.
Aaron Fletcher Stevens	Republican	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1871	40th 41st	Elected late on March 12, 1867. Re-elected late on March 9, 1869. Lost re-election.
Samuel Newell Bell	Democratic	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873	42nd	Elected late on March 14, 1871. Lost re-election.
Austin F. Pike	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected late on March 11, 1873. Retired.
Samuel Newell Bell	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	Elected late on March 9, 1875. Retired.
James F. Briggs	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883	45th 46th 47th	Elected late on March 13, 1877. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired.
Ossian Ray	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1882. Retired.
Jacob H. Gallinger	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	49th 50th	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired.
Orren C. Moore	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	Elected in 1888. Lost re-election.
Warren F. Daniell	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	Elected in 1890. Retired.
Henry Moore Baker	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897	53rd 54th	Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Retired.
Frank Gay Clarke	Republican	March 4, 1897 – January 9, 1901	55th 56th	Elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Retired and died before next term began.
Vacant		January 9, 1901 – March 3, 1901	56th
Frank Dunklee Currier	Republican	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1913	57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd	Elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Lost re-election.
Raymond Bartlett Stevens	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	Elected in 1912. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Edward Hills Wason	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1933	64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Retired.
Charles W. Tobey	Republican	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939	73rd 74th 75th	Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Foster Waterman Stearns	Republican	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1945	76th 77th 78th	Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Sherman Adams	Republican	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947	79th	Elected in 1944. Retired to run for Governor of New Hampshire.
Norris Cotton	Republican	January 3, 1947 – November 7, 1954	80th 81st 82nd 83rd	Elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Retired to run for U.S. senator and resigned when elected
Vacant		November 7, 1954 – January 3, 1955	83rd
Perkins Bass	Republican	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963	84th 85th 86th 87th	Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
James Colgate Cleveland	Republican	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1981	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th	Elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Retired.
Judd Gregg	Republican	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1989	97th 98th 99th 100th	Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Retired to run for Governor of New Hampshire.
Charles Douglas III	Republican	January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1991	101st	Elected in 1988. Lost re-election.
Dick Swett	Democratic	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1995	102nd 103rd	Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Lost re-election.
Charles Bass	Republican	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2007	104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th	Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Lost re-election.
Paul Hodes	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011	110th 111th	Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Charles Bass	Republican	January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013	112th	Elected in 2010. Lost re-election.
Ann McLane Kuster	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – Present	113th 114th 115th 116th 117th	Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020.

Competitiveness[]

Historically, the second district has had strong Republican leanings, having voted Republican 71 times and Democrat only 15. The district has leaned Democratic in congressional races since 2006, and in presidential races since 2000.

Recent election results from state-wide races:

Year	Office	Results	Office	Results	Office	Results
2000	U.S. President	Al Gore 48 – George W. Bush 47%	—		Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2002	—		U.S. Senate	[data unknown/missing]	Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2004	U.S. President	John Kerry 52 – George W. Bush 47%	U.S. Senate	[data unknown/missing]	Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2006	—		—		Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2008	U.S. President	Barack Obama 56 – John McCain 43%	U.S. Senate	[data unknown/missing]	Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2010	—		U.S. Senate	[data unknown/missing]	Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2012	U.S. President	Barack Obama 54 – Mitt Romney 45%	—		Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2014	—		U.S. Senate	[data unknown/missing]	Governor of New Hampshire	[data unknown/missing]
2016	U.S. President	Hillary Clinton 49 – Donald Trump 46%	U.S. Senate	Maggie Hassan 49 – Kelly Ayotte 47%	Governor of New Hampshire	Colin Van Ostern 48 – Chris Sununu 47%
2018	—		—		Governor of New Hampshire	Chris Sununu 51 – Molly Kelly 48%
2020	U.S. President	Joe Biden 54 – Donald Trump 45%	U.S. Senate	Jeanne Shaheen 57 – Corky Messner 40%	Governor of New Hampshire	Chris Sununu 63 – Dan Feltes 35%

Recent election results[]

2012[]

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, 2012^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann McLane Kuster	169,275	50.2
	Republican	Charles Bass (incumbent)	152,977	45.3
	Libertarian	Hardy Macia	14,936	4.4
	N/A	Write-ins	206	0.1
Total votes			337,394	100.0
	Democratic gain from Republican

2014[]

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, 2014^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann McLane Kuster (incumbent)	130,700	54.9
	Republican	Marilinda Garcia	106,871	44.9
	N/A	Write-ins	613	0.2
Total votes			238,184	100.0
	Democratic hold

2016[]

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, 2016 ^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann McLane Kuster (incumbent)	174,495	49.7
	Republican	Jim Lawrence	158,973	45.3
	Independent	John Babiarz	17,088	4.9
	N/A	Write-ins	236	0.1
Total votes			350,792	100.0
	Democratic hold

2018[]

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, 2018^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann McLane Kuster (incumbent)	155,358	55.5
	Republican	Steve Negron	117,990	42.2
	Libertarian	Justin O'Donnell	6,206	2.2
	N/A	Write-ins	151	0.1
Total votes			279,705	100.0
	Democratic hold

2020[]

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, 2020^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann McLane Kuster (incumbent)	207,863	53.91
	Republican	Steve Negron	168,491	43.70
	Libertarian	Andrew Olding	9,093	2.36
	N/A	Scatter	147	0.04
Total votes			385,594	100.0
	Democratic hold

Historical district boundaries[]

2003–2013

References[]

^ . U.S. Census. August 17, 2021 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/about/rdo/summary-files.html. Retrieved August 17, 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=33&cd=02
^ "Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
^ "State of New Hampshire General Election Congressional District 1 2012". New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division. November 6, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
^ "Representative in Congress - 2014 General Election". NH Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
^ "2016 General Election Information and Results". New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
^ Johnson, Cheryl L. (February 28, 2019). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ Gardner, William M. (November 19, 2020). "2020 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State. Retrieved November 22, 2020.

v t New Hampshire's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators	▌Jeanne Shaheen (D) ▌Maggie Hassan (D)
Representatives (ordered by district)	▌Chris Pappas (D) ▌Annie Kuster (D)