WEDNESDAY UPDATE: The Associated Press is reporting Carol Shea-Porter defeated Frank Guinta with 44 percent of the vote.

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West Lebanon — The anger that fueled a strong showing by Donald Trump across the country also lifted Republican candidates in New Hampshire Congressional races.

Former state Rep. Jim Lawrence, R-Hudson, who had trailed by wide margins in polls, ran a surprisingly strong race against U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., in the 2nd Congressional district race.

With 75 percent of precincts reporting, Kuster had 49 percent support, to 46 percent for Lawrence. John Babiarz, a Grafton independent, had 5 percent.

Meanwhile, with 81 percent of town reporting, in the 1st Congressional district, U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, a Manchester Republican, had 44 percent against former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, a Democrat, who had 43 percent. Independent candidate Shawn O’Connor was a factor in the race, with 10 percent. This was the fourth consecutive race between Guinta and Shea-Porter in the district covering eastern New Hampshire and the city of Manchester.

In the 2nd District, Kuster, who first won the seat in 2012, touted her work to combat the state’s heroin and opioid crisis and to improve access to health care for veterans. She and Guinta co-chair a bipartisan task force. Lawrence, a veteran, heavily criticized President Obama’s policies on foreign policy, the national debt and the economy.

Lawrence was dogged by reports that he owed more than $15,000 in unpaid property taxes. In his final televised debate against Kuster, Lawrence said questions about his unpaid taxes were a “distraction” from the issues.

In the first district, Shea-Porter first won the seat in 2006, and Guinta reminded voters she had been running for office for a decade. Guinta, meanwhile, was dogged by his own campaign finance scandal for much of his campaign. The Federal Election Commission ruled last year that Guinta illegally accepted $350,000 from his parents in his successful 2010 campaign.

Both candidates appeared to be roiled by O’Connor, ganging up on him in a televised debate by calling him a political opportunist. O’Connor is a businessman who moved to New Hampshire from New York in 2013.