West Lebanon
The good news, and expected, for them was Hanover Democrat Martha Hennessey, a first-term state representative, appeared headed to victory in the Senate District 5 race in the heart of the Valley.
Hennessey was running against Marie Lozito, a nurse and Republican activist from Claremont, and narrowly defeated her there, 2,566-2,555. Hennessey also rolled to victory in Hanover, 5,614-1,427.
If she wins, Hennessey, a 62-year-old psychologist and Dartmouth College graduate, will succeed state Sen. David Pierce, a Lebanon Democrat who stepped down earlier this year.
The district, the most reliably Democratic in the state, is comprised of the Upper Valley towns of Lyme, Hanover, Lebanon, Enfield, Canaan, Plainfield, Cornish, Claremont and Charlestown.
In the Senate District 8 race, New London Democrat John Garvey was running against Stoddard Republican Ruth Ward in a bid to replace former state Sen. Jerry Little, R-Weare, who stepped down in June to become the state banking commissioner.
Garvey, 64, is a University of New Hampshire Law School professor and the son-in-law of the late U.S. Rep. James Cleveland, R-N.H.
Ward, 79, is a retired nurse practitioner.
In early returns, Garvey handily won his hometown, 1,707-1,130. But Ward won Newport, 1,573-1,207.
And with 16 of 24 precincts reporting, Ward had 53 percent to 47 percent for Garvey.
The District 8 seat had been held for more than a decade by then-Sen. Bob Odell, a Republican centrist, and was made more Republican in redistricting after the 2010 Census.
It covers 24 towns from Grantham to Weare, including seven Upper Valley communities — Newport, New London, Croydon, Sunapee, Springfield, Unity and Grantham.
Two Warren residents were battling for the open Senate District 2 seat, which represents the Haverhill and Plymouth area.
Democrat Charlie Chandler, 70, is an attorney with extensive state experience, and the brother of former House Speaker Gene Chandler, a Republican.
His opponent, Republican Bob Giuda, is a former state representative who is retiring soon as a commercial airline pilot.
The district stretches from the Lakes Region to the Upper Valley, including the towns of Haverhill, Piermont, Orford, Dorchester, Grafton and Orange.
In early re
With 14 of 27 precincts reporting, Giuda had 55 percent, to 45 percent for Chandler.
The seat opened up when state Sen. Jeanie Forrester, a Meredith Republican first elected in 2010, opted to run for governor but lost in the GOP primary.
John P. Gregg can be reached at jgregg@@vnews.com or 603-727-3217.