Carol Shea Porter Wins Rematch With Jeb Bradley

Carol Shea-Porter gives her victory speech in Manchester. (Jason Meserve, NHPR)

Carol Shea Porter faced a challenge from the man she unseated two years ago.

Republican Jeb Bradley had held the first district seat for two terms.

Representative Shea Porter said Bradley and his supporters seemed to think voters had made some kind of mistake when they first elected her in 2006.

You know, people said, that can’t happen twice. That was just a fluke. They didn’t mean to send her to Washington. Well, now we know. You did mean to send me to Washington. (cheers)

In his concession speech, Jeb Bradley congratulated Shea Porter on her victory.

And he said he didn’t like losing.

But Bradley held out hope that things would one day get better for the GOP.

No one feels a loss as much as the person who’s name is on the ballot. But as I said, that pendulum is going to swing back. Don’t give up. Keep fighting for the things we all believe in. I’m going to do that. I know you’re going to do that.

Democrats had a big night, winning offices up and down the ballot, from President to holding on to the majority in the state senate.

New Hampshire Democratic official Colin Van Ostern said his party’s candidates succeeded because their message addressed what’s been ailing this state and the whole nation.

I think there were some really strong forces at play right now. I mean what’s happened to our economy over the past few years is a pretty fundamental problem. And what happened with the war in Iraq is a pretty fundamental thing. Those are like the tectonic plates of politics, and when those things move, there’s a lot of fallout afterwards….

Representative Shea Porter joins fellow Democrats Congressman Paul Hodes and newly elected Senator Jeanne Shaheen in representing the state in Washington.

Senator Judd Gregg is the last Republican left in the state’s Congressional delegation.