Democrat Cinde Warmington won the race against Republican James “Jim” Beard to represent District 2 on New Hampshire’s Executive Council and is currently the sole democrat to be elected to the council this election cycle, as Districts 1 and 5 have not been called yet.
“[It’s been] as fun as anything I’ve ever done in my life, but busy,” said Warmington during a phone interview, speaking on the months leading up to Election Day. “We were so focused on getting my message out, we didn’t stop.”
Warmington ran as a health care advocate, having a combined 40 years of experience within health care – 20 as a health attorney at Shaheen and Gordon and 20 in laboratory medicine and hospitals.
District 2 spans New Hampshire horizontally, reaching both the Maine and Vermont borders. It encompasses 49 towns including the capital city of Concord, Keene, Dover and Rochester. She won 26 of the towns and cities within the district. She carried 54.92% of the vote when the election was called, accounting for 78,074 voters. The seat was previously occupied by Andru Volinsky, who ran in the Democrat’s gubernatorial primary election earlier this year.
“[I’m] disappointed but grateful,” said Beard. “I’m grateful for having had the chance to get my name out there and I’m grateful for the people and friends that I’ve met. The size of the district made it hard to meet each community.”
The Executive Council works alongside and serves as a check to the governor, primarily overseeing the state’s budget and state department funds and gifts as well as nominating judicial officers and the attorney general. The four other districts that were up for grabs this election cycle were won by the republican candidates. This session’s executive council will be in charge of drawing the new district lines.
Warmington’s priorities for her role on the Executive Council include expanding access to affordable health care, safeguarding Planned Parenthood, demanding action on climate change and protecting public education.
“This campaign has been an incredible journey, and I can’t express enough gratitude for the countless people who supported us with their votes, their time, their treasure, their outreach to their networks, and so much more.” said Warmington in a statement on Twitter. “Tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come, we’ll see the direction our country will head in. I believe that optimism, hope, and decency will prevail.”
Photo Courtesy of Cinde Warmington