Maggie Hassan wins the New Hampshire Senate race

By Annika Fagerholm 11/10/16

Gov. Maggie Hassan unseated incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte as the Senator of New Hampshire Wednesday evening, ending one of the most competitive races of the election season.

Ayotte conceded the race to Hassan just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. “It has been a tremendous privilege to serve New Hampshire in the Senate,” she said in a statement. “This is a critical time for New Hampshire and our country, and now more than ever, we need to work together to address our challenges.”

Ayotte initially said that she would vote for President-elect Donald Trump, which she later took back and announced that she would be writing in Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Election Day, “I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” she said.

During her campaign, Hassan said that she differed with some of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s policy proposals. However, the two-term governor also stated, “I think that Hillary Clinton and I work for many of the same things, expanding middle class opportunity so that everybody who wants to work hard to get ahead can stay ahead.”

Hassan defeated the incumbent Senator Ayotte by about 1,000 votes. This win gives the Democrats 48 seats which is short of the Senate majority they were aiming for.

At a press conference Wednesday, Hassan announced, “It’s up to all of us elected leaders and citizens now to come together and focus on common challenges and our common opportunities.”