Portsmouth Voters Elect Blue House Delegation

Portsmouth Democratic House candidates swept all six seats to maintain a Democratic delegation.

According to unofficial Portsmouth election results gathered at the polls, incumbent Democratic House lawmakers and new Democratic candidates defeated their Republican opponents handily in three of the House seats that were still elected by ward and the two new floterial districts.

Newly elected Democratic House candidate Rebecca Emerson Brown ran unopposed in House District 27.

In House District 25, which represents Ward 1, incumbent Democratic House Rep. Laura Pantelakos defeated GOP candidate James Reilley by a margin of 1,671 to 710. In House District 26, which represents Ward 2, House Minority Leader Terie Norelli defeated Mark Brighton, 2036 to 674.

In House District 28, which represents Ward 4, Democratic candidate Gerry Ward defeated GOP candidate Maurice Foster, 1,295 to 796. In House District 29, which represents Ward 5, Democratic candidate Brian Wazlaw defeated Republican candidate Arthur Clough III, 1,681 to 707.

The races for the two floterial districts that were created by the State Legislature last winter as part of redistricting, were not close, either.

Democratic House Rep. Jackie Cali-Pitts defeated Republican candidate Kevin Kervick in House District 30, which represents city residents win wards 1 and 2 and wards 4 and 5, by a margin of 6,408 to 2,898.

In the House District 31 race, which includes city voters in Ward 3 and the towns North Hampton, Greenland and Newington, Portsmouth Democrat Joe Scarlotto defeated Republican Robert Boyle of North Hampton, 4,345 to 3,366.