KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) N.H. Democrat Chris Pappas won the Senate seat in Tuesday’s midterm election, defeating Republican John E. Sununu. Sununu conceded the statewide U.S. Senate race at 8:18 p.m., clearing the way for Pappas to take the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

Pappas, who currently represents New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, received 7,074 votes in Keene, compared with 2,404 for Sununu. Constitution Party candidate Edmond LaPlante received 211 votes.

Keene voters also favored Democrat Cinde Warmington in the gubernatorial race, supported Democratic candidates in other state contests and rejected a proposed school funding measure that would have restricted certain local tax increases and administrative spending.

Tuesday’s election also brought record-setting participation at some Keene polling locations, according to election volunteers.

In Ward 2, one election volunteer reported that 2,046 ballots had been cast, describing the total as a record for the ward. Ward 5 recorded 2,229 ballots cast.

Ward 1 also saw significant activity, with 425 new voters registering on Election Day. Keene City Councilor and election volunteer Jacob Favolise said he believed that number represented a record for the ward.

The following are unofficial results from Keene’s five wards.

Democrats carry major statewide races in Keene

Warmington received 6,569 votes across Keene, defeating Republican incumbent Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who received 2,934. Libertarian candidate Stephen Villee received 157 votes.

Warmington led in all five wards, with her strongest showing in Ward 5, where she received 1,534 votes.

In the 2nd Congressional District race, Democratic incumbent Maggie Goodlander received 7,269 votes in Keene, compared with 1,719 for Republican Lily Tang Williams and 683 for independent candidate Robbie Mahrou.

Goodlander carried all five wards in the unofficial results.

Democratic Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill also won Keene, receiving 7,027 votes to Republican challenger Tobin Menard’s 2,145.

State Sen. Donovan Fenton, a Democrat running unopposed, received 7,617 votes.

Keene Democrats retain N.H. House seats

Democrats held their ground in the contested New Hampshire House races across Keene, with incumbents winning reelection and former Ward 1 representative Dylan Germana returning to the Statehouse.

In Ward 1, Germana defeated Republican Timothy J. Donovan, receiving 1,105 votes to Donovan’s 314. Germana resigned from the seat earlier this year amid questions about his residency. The state Attorney General’s Office subsequently cleared him, and he ran for election to his former seat.

In Ward 2, Democratic incumbent Terri O’Rorke won reelection with 1,524 votes, defeating Republican Jonathan Liptak, who received 456.

Ward 3’s Democratic incumbent Dru Fox ran unopposed and received 1,527 votes.

In Ward 4, Democratic incumbent Jodi Newell received 1,402 votes, defeating Republican Robert Johnson, who received 524.

Ward 5 incumbent Democrat Philip Jones won reelection with 1,636 votes, compared with 501 for Republican Marissa W. Salisbury.

Cheshire District 15, which allows voters to select up to two representatives, also saw Democratic candidates lead the field. Samantha Jacobs received 5,388 votes, while Nicholas Germana received 5,163. Republican candidates Becky Shields and Matthew Roach received 1,831 and 1,714 votes, respectively.

In Cheshire District 16, Democrat Lucius Parshall received 1,479 votes in Ward 2, defeating Republican Alexander Nalevanko, who received 482.

Keene voters reject school funding restrictions

Two statewide ballot questions also appeared on Tuesday’s ballots.

Question 1, which asked voters whether New Hampshire should eliminate the register of probate position, received 5,022 yes votes in Keene, compared with 3,503 no votes. A majority of voters in each of the city’s five wards supported the proposal.

Question 2, concerning proposed restrictions on school property tax increases and administrative spending, failed to gain support in Keene.

The measure received 4,205 yes votes and 5,015 no votes across the city, with voters in all five wards rejecting it.

If approved statewide, the proposal would have limited annual increases in local school property tax levies, with exceptions for inflation and qualifying new construction. It also would have capped School Administrative Unit central office operating expenses at 6% of total school district appropriations.

The proposal required approval from at least 60% of participating voters across each school district to pass. Keene’s results alone do not determine the outcome for the entire school district.

Statewide results continue

With Sununu conceding the Senate race, Pappas has secured a major victory in one of the country’s closely watched midterm contests.

Keene’s unofficial results reflect a strong showing for Democrats across federal, state and local races, while voters also backed eliminating the register of probate and rejected the proposed school funding restrictions.

MyKeeneNow will continue following statewide election results as additional totals become available.