Nearly 16 months after state Sen. Kevin Cavanaugh defeated Republican David Boutin in a special election in District 16, the two candidates are facing off again.
After decades of Republican control, Democrats turned the district blue in 2016 and held on to it with Cavanaugh’s election in July 2017. Now, the district is getting ready to decide on its third Senate race in as many years, and the result will be key for both parties statewide as Democrats try to wrangle control of the chamber away from Republicans.
Despite the recent success of Democrats over the last two years, Boutin said he’s confident Republican voters will come out in strong numbers.
“I think it is still a Republican district,” Boutin said. “It can fairly be considered a swing district to some extent. It’s a hard thing on special elections to get a sense of what happened.”
The district consists mostly of Republican voters, a difference of about 6 percent over Democrats, Cavanaugh said.
“I represent Republicans, and I care about their families, too,” Cavanaugh said. “It doesn’t matter what party you’re with. It’s about what you care about.”
When Cavanaugh embarked on his last campaign as a newcomer to state politics, simply spreading the word to voters that there was an election was as important as sharing his platform. Back in the regular cycle this time, Cavanaugh and Boutin have been able to focus on policy and issues when meeting with voters.
“Last year was driving the get-out-the-vote effort. This year is about the message you want to deliver,” said Cavanaugh, who works as the assistant business manager at IBEW Local 2320.
Boutin began his campaign in June and focused on reconnecting with the district he served for three consecutive terms beginning in 2010.
“Many of them know me and my background and what I did in the Senate,” Boutin said. “They know I will go there and not vote for new taxes but things that will make our state better.”
Cavanaugh has raised $114,567.09 so far, according to the campaign’s most recent filing on Oct. 31. Boutin, meanwhile, has rounded up $41,075 in campaign contributions.
Boutin blasted Cavanaugh in a letter to the editor published in the Monitor on Oct. 30 where he criticized the Manchester alderman for holding onto a $500 campaign donation from Sen. Jeff Woodburn, who is facing domestic violence-related charges. Cavanaugh’s campaign accepted the donation on June 24, according to their Aug. 22 finance report, more than a month before Woodburn was charged in early August.
On a phone call Friday, Cavanaugh told the Monitor that he plans to donate the contribution to a charity before Tuesday’s election. He declined to identify the charity that will receive the money, saying, “They don’t want to be in the news.” That information should be available when the campaign files its next report, which is due to the state by Nov. 14.
The 24-seat Senate has been under a Republican majority since 2010, with 14 seats currently filled by GOP lawmakers. Boutin played a part in helping the party regain that majority with his election in 2010. After re-elections in 2012 and 2014, Boutin stepped out of the arena in 2016 to spend more time with his family.
Joe Duarte earned the Republican nomination in 2016 after his primary opponent withdrew, but Duarte came up short in the general election to Democrat Scott McGilvray, who became the first Democrat to win in the district in more than 50 years. McGilvray served only a few months before his sudden death in March 2017, setting off a special election later that summer.
Cavanaugh emerged from a June primary as the Democratic nominee to replace McGilvray, while Boutin jumped back into the race at the request of the state GOP. Several towns reported near or above 10 percent turnout early in the day, which is relatively high for a special election, polling officials said at the time. Cavanaugh, in his first race for state office, won the seat by a margin of 934 votes out of 8,677 ballots cast.
Boutin said he hopes that higher turnout this time around plays in his favor.
“I think probably in a general way we didn’t get the turnout we expected to get,” Boutin said. “I think that is going to be different in this election. I think people are anxious to get out and vote.”
District 16 includes Bow, Candia, Dunbarton and Hooksett, as well as Manchester wards 1, 2 and 12.
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3321, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)