Republican Lynne Ferrari Blankenbeker appears to have narrowly edged out longtime legislator Jim MacKay to win a House seat in the Concord special election.

Blankenbeker received 858 votes to MacKay's 838. MacKay said he plans to request a recount.

"The victory looks awesome for Republicans," Blankenbeker said last night, speaking from The Draft, where she was celebrating. "It's a hard district to win. We didn't think we could do it as a Republican. It speaks volumes for people wanting a more conservative presence in (Merrimack County) District 11."

MacKay held the House seat for five terms before losing it in 2008. A former moderate Republican, he switched to the Democratic Party in advance of this election. MacKay said last night that the transition may have hurt him.

"I think there might have been some Republicans who wouldn't support me because of the changing. Then I'm a new face to Democrats who they had to get used to," MacKay said.

The victory, if ratified, will be a coup for Blankenbeker and state Republicans. As of June 2008, the district, which includes Concord's Wards 4, 8, 9 and 10, was predominantly Democratic. There were approximately 4,400 registered Democrats and only 3,500 Republicans, with 3,800 voters undeclared.

MacKay did well in Ward 4, which is the most heavily Democratic. But he fell behind Blankenbeker in wards 8 and 10, both of which have only slightly more Democrats than Republicans.

In the 2008 election, Democrats swept all of the district's five House seats, with both MacKay and Blankenbeker among the losing Republican candidates. MacKay then switched to the Democratic Party, saying he felt out of touch with the Republicans, largely because of his liberal views on social issues.

Both candidates campaigned hard this time around and received significant support from their respective parties. Both candidates paid for robo-calls, sent out mailings and maintained a strong presence in the district.

Blankenbeker, 45, is a military nurse and an attorney who ran on a platform of fiscal conservatism. She spent about $1,200 of her own money to beat John Weeden overwhelmingly in a Republican primary, and she raised an additional $2,500. She received support from Republican leaders in the House and from members of the Republican libertarian community.

Blankenbeker credited her victory to her volunteers and supporters.

"I had so many people on the ground, so many people supporting me, volunteers out with me all the time, knocking on doors, dropping literature," she said. "The win was definitely a group effort."

Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu said Blakenbeker's victory "sends a clear message to Governor Lynch and the radical leadership in the House and Senate that New Hampshire is fed up with the lack of fiscal discipline that has been displayed by the Democrats."

MacKay, 79, a retired psychotherapist and advocate on mental health issues, ran on a platform of repairing the state's mental health system. He spent about $2,500 of his own money between the uncontested Democratic primary and the general election; he raised $1,200. He received support from people in the mental health field and from a number of Democratic state representatives.

MacKay said he will continue to do the work he has been doing in mental health advocacy, although it would have been easier as a legislator.

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