More than 40% of New Hampshire residents would be moved into a different congressional district under a map approved by the House on Thursday.
Under the current map, the 1st Congressional District covers the eastern part of the state and some of the south, including Manchester. The 2nd District covers the western, northern and some southern communities, including Nashua.
Both seats are currently held by Democrats, but the plan approved by the Republican-led House would create a new, GOP-leaning 1st District by clumping together towns and cities along I-93 in the southern half of the state, with the 2nd District reaching up and around it on both sides. Gov. Chris Sununu has promised to veto an earlier plan passed by both the House and Senate, and has indicated the new one falls short as well.
The new plan, which now goes to the Senate, would put the hometowns of both Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas in the 1st District and would move several of the current candidates for the GOP nomination in the 1st District to the 2nd. Eighty-six towns and 559,000 residents would switch as well.
“This map recognizes the state as it is today in 2022. It is not my fault that the I-93 economic corridor is in fact the largest community of interest in this state,” said Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester, who developed the map. “I present to you a map that meets all of the constitutional requirements, a map with the lowest deviation of any map that has been publicly released, a map that respects what we heard in the hearings.”
Rep. Paul Bergeron, D-Nashua, said no one who spoke at the many public input sessions lawmakers hosted around the state asked for such dramatic changes. Arguing in favor of the amendment offered by Democrats, he said both districts would remain competitive.
“This amendment would protect the rights of all new Hampshire voters and candidates to have a fair opportunity to color our state red, blue or purple.”