Becky Whitley secured District 15’s state Senate seat in a sizeable victory for the Democratic candidate.
Whitley won nearly 65% of votes in a race against Linda Rae Banfill, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. While the state Senate majority has swung back and forth – Republicans gained a majority in 2010 and Democrats took the Senate back after gaining five seats in the 2018 election – the District 15 seat has gone blue for more than 20 years. Whitley replaces Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Feltes, who held the District 15 seat for three terms and served as Senate majority leader.
“I am not the least bit upset,” Banfill said. “I raised some issues and reconnected with old friends.”
For much of Whitley’s campaign, the candidate placed climate change, health care, and racial justice at the center of her campaign. As a former consultant for the Environmental Defense Force, an attorney for the Disability Rights Center, and vocal protestor against racial injustice, Whitley argued she has the experience to make tangible changes to the state’s policies on these issues.
However, Whitley is most well known in the state for her advocacy regarding children’s health issues. At New Futures, a health nonprofit, she led the N.H. Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative. Most notably, she co-authored and helped pass SB 14, a bill that allocated $20 million toward revamping the mental health system for children.
Whitley said once she takes office, she first plans on working to help the vulnerable Granite Staters who have been affected by the pandemic.
“We face incredibly difficult challenges ahead,” she said. “But we can do it with smart policy and working together.”
The broader battle for control of the state Senate will come down to just a couple of district races in the state. To take back control, Republicans needed to win at least eight seats in key battleground districts, such as District 16, Concord’s neighboring district that includes Bow and Manchester.