New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district

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

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Annie Kuster D–Hopkinton
Distribution	51.05% urban 48.95% rural
Population (2022^[1])	691,308
Median household income	$88,494^[1]
Ethnicity	87.0% White 4.3% Hispanic 4.1% Two or more races 2.7% Asian 1.2% Black 0.7% other
Cook PVI	D+2^[2]

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 second largest college, and all three of its representatives since 1995 (Charles Bass, Paul Hodes, and Annie Kuster) have been Dartmouth alumni. Some of the largest employers in the district are Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth College, Southern New Hampshire Health System, and BAE Systems.

History and composition

The district (2022-) includes:

• the towns of Center Harbor and New Hampton in Belknap County
• the towns of Albany, Jackson, and Sandwich in Carroll County
• all of Cheshire County
• all of Coos County
• all of Grafton County
• all of Hillsborough County, except the municapilities 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 1846 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.

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.

Election results from statewide races

Election results from presidential races:^[3]

Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Al Gore 48% - George W. Bush 47%
2004	President	John Kerry 52% - George W. Bush 47%
2008	President	Barack Obama 56% – John McCain 43%
2012	President	Barack Obama 54% – Mitt Romney 45%
2016	President	Hillary Clinton 49% - Donald Trump 46%
2020	President	Joe Biden 54% – Donald Trump 45%

Election results from statewide races:^[3]

Year	Office	Results
2012	Governor	Maggie Hassan 56% - Ovide Lamontagne 41%
2014	Governor	Maggie Hassan 54% - Walt Havenstein 46%
2014	Senate	Jeanne Shaheen 54% – Scott Brown 46%
2016	Governor	Colin Van Ostern 48% - Chris Sununu 47%
2016	Senate	Maggie Hassan 49% – Kelly Ayotte 47%
2018	Governor	Chris Sununu 51% – Molly Kelly 48%
2020	Governor	Chris Sununu 63% – Dan Feltes 35%
2020	Senate	Jeanne Shaheen 57% – Corky Messner 40%
2022	Senate	Maggie Hassan 54% – Don Bolduc 44%

List of members representing the district

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District established March 4, 1847
Charles H. Peaslee (Concord)	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 (Manchester)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected late on March 8, 1853. Lost re-election.
Mason Tappan (Bradford)	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.
	Republican	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861	35th 36th
Edward H. Rollins (Concord)	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 (Nashua)	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 (Manchester)	Democratic	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873	42nd	Elected late on March 14, 1871. Lost re-election.
Austin F. Pike (Franklin)	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected late on March 11, 1873. Retired.
Samuel Newell Bell (Manchester)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	Elected late on March 9, 1875. Retired.
James F. Briggs (Manchester)	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 (Lancaster)	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1882. Retired.
Jacob H. Gallinger (Concord)	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	49th 50th	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired.
Orren C. Moore (Nashua)	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	Elected in 1888. Lost re-election.
Warren F. Daniell (Franklin)	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	Elected in 1890. Retired.
Henry Moore Baker (Bow)	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897	53rd 54th	Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Retired.
Frank Gay Clarke (Peterborough)	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 (Canaan)	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 (Landaff)	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	Elected in 1912. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Edward Hills Wason (Nashua)	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 (Temple)	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 (Hancock)	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 (Lincoln)	Republican	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947	79th	Elected in 1944. Retired to run for Governor of New Hampshire.
Norris Cotton (Lebanon)	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 (Peterborough)	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 (New London)	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 (Greenfield)	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.
Chuck Douglas (Concord)	Republican	January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1991	101st	Elected in 1988. Lost re-election.
Dick Swett (Bow)	Democratic	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1995	102nd 103rd	Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Lost re-election.
Charles Bass (Peterborough)	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 (Concord)	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 (Peterborough)	Republican	January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013	112th	Elected in 2010. Lost re-election.
Ann McLane Kuster (Hopkinton)	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – present	113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Retiring at end of term.

Electoral history

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

2022

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, 2022^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Annie Kuster (incumbent)	171,636	55.8
	Republican	Robert Burns	135,579	44.1
	Write-in		369	0.1
Total votes			307,584	100.0
	Democratic hold

Historical district boundaries

 

2003–2013

 

2013–2023

See also

•  United States portal

• New Hampshire's 1st congressional district
• New Hampshire's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

1. "My Congressional District: Congressional District 2 (118th Congress), New Hampshire". United States Census Bureau.
2. "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
3. "NH-SOS - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
4. "State of New Hampshire General Election Congressional District 1 2012". New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division. November 6, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
5. "Representative in Congress - 2014 General Election". NH Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
6. "2016 General Election Information and Results". New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
7. 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.
8. Gardner, William M. (November 19, 2020). "2020 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
9. "2022 General Election Results". New Hampshire Department of State.

Further reading

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

43°45′51″N 71°43′17″W / 43.76417°N 71.72139°W / 43.76417; -71.72139