New Hampshire

New Hampshire has almost always gone with the Republican presidential nominee in recent decades, but the Democratic and Republican parties were much more evenly balanced in local and state elections. New Hampshire's quadrennial presidential preference primary, traditionally the first state primary of the campaign season, accords to New Hampshirites a degree of national political influence and a claim on media attention far out of proportion to their numbers. In the 1992 presidential election, New Hampshire voters defied their tradition and chose Democrat Bill Clinton over Republican incumbent George Bush by a scant 6,556 votes. Clinton won the state again in 1996. In the 2000 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 48% of the vote to Democrat Al Gore's 47%; Green Party candidate Ralph Nader garnered 4% of the vote. In 2002 there were 690,159 registered voters. In 1998, 27% of registered voters were Democratic, 36% Republican, and 36% unaffiliated or members of other parties. The state had four electoral votes in the 2000 presidential election.

As of 2003, both of New Hampshire's senators, John Sununu (elected in 2002) and Judd Gregg (reelected in 1998), were Republicans. Following the 2002 election, both House seats were held by Republicans. In 2002 Republican Craig Benson was elected governor. The New Hampshire state senate in mid-2003 had 18 Republicans and 6 Democrats, and the state house had 281 Republicans and 119 Democrats.

New Hampshire Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2000

New Hampshire Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2000