Lebanon — The outpouring of campaign contributions that helped New Hampshire Democrats retake the state Legislature last month was also felt in the Upper Valley, where candidates used donations to mount campaigns in several Republican-held and swing districts.

In all three of the region’s state Senate districts, Democrats outraised their Republican counterparts.

The same was true in Grafton County, where four House seats flipped from red to blue.

“My messaging and my branding helped a lot, but certainly money is a big factor,” said incoming Rep. Denny Ruprecht, D-Landaff, who will represent a district that includes Haverhill, Orford and Piermont beginning this week.

Campaign finance reports show Ruprecht spending more than $5,100 this election season.

That’s roughly double what Piermont Republican Rebecca Bailey spent in the same race.

Ruprecht also outraised Lisbon Democrat Rachel Booth, who ran for the seat in 2016, by about $1,000.

Statewide numbers tell a similar story, with Democrats outspending opponents by a “significant margin,” according to the conservative Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy.

The Democratic Party’s three statewide political action committees outspent Republican committees by $3 million, while Democratic county and town committees outspent their counterparts 10-1, the think tank wrote on its blog.

Democrats also enjoyed greater party organization, with local committees filing campaign finance reports at a rate of 30-5 against similar Republican groups.

“The Democrats are much better organized. They’re on a mission, and they coordinate and collaborate far much better than Republicans do,” said Sen. Bob Giuda, R-Warren, who represents the Haverhill area.

“We are outmaneuvered at every turn because we don’t know how to campaign, we don’t know how to strategize, we don’t know how to engage people,” he added.

Giuda raised more than $70,000 this election season. That’s roughly $30,000 short of his challenger, Plymouth Democrat Bill Bolton, who came just 751 votes shy of winning the traditionally conservative district.

Campaigning for votes isn’t enough anymore, and individuals have to be encouraged to contribute to politicians and ideas they care most about, Giuda said. Otherwise, candidates will either have to rely more on Washington-based groups for help or make due facing an uphill battle, he said.

Giuda said he’s considering legislation that would fine groups found to be sending out untruthful campaign materials.

Several of the mailers that went out, he said, mischaracterized or lied about his record.

Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, also decried out-of-state groups’ influence in New Hampshire politics.

The Newport-area lawmaker raised about $62,000 this election season, nearly $90,000 less than Sutton Democrat Jenn Alford-Teaster, who lost by 647 votes.

“The only way to combat that is to have Republicans giving to the party so that you have a lot more money,” said Ward, who attributed her re-election to name recognition and groundwork on the campaign trail.

Democrats had several advantages that helped them in the run-up to the election. Yes, people were more willing to give, but there were also easier ways to give, Ruprecht said.

He made use of ActBlue, an online tool that allows people to donate to Democratic candidates and causes. Similar to GoFundMe, Ruprecht was able to send people a link that took them directly to his donation page.

Democratic committees were also wiser with their money, spending it in key races that could be flipped, Ruprecht added. His election bid was supported by the Plymouth Area Democrats, even though his district is on the opposite side of Grafton County.

The mood ahead of the election was also different this year, said incoming Rep. Sue Ford, D-Easton, who flipped a Republican-held seat that represents Orford and Piermont.

“This year, people were much more interested in talking about issues and what was going on in New Hampshire,” she said, adding that more people attended campaign forums and Democratic events.

The Democratic strategy hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Steve Stephanek, who is running to become the next chairman of the state Republican Party, has said he hopes to emulate part of the Democratic model.

“Let’s give credit where credit is due. The Democrats have done a damn good job at (fundraising),” he told the Concord Monitor last month. “There’s three things that we have to do. Raise money. Raise more money. And then raise even more money.”

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.