This little swing state has huge influence. Here's how Democrats gain control of the state legislature:

Friend, you want to talk about a wild election night? Check out New Hampshire. Even though Republicans had rammed through hand-crafted gerrymanders of the state legislature earlier in the year, Democrats flipped a huge number of seats in November and squeezed the GOP down to its smallest majority in state history. In fact, it’s pretty much the smallest majority possible: In the 400-member chamber, Republicans now hold just 201 seats. Democrats, meanwhile, expanded their caucus to 198 seats—but it gets wilder yet. That final race for that 400th seat ended in a tie after all votes were counted, a jump-ball scenario that New Hampshire has traditionally resolved with a special election. So what did Republicans do? They tried to outright steal the race by holding a vote to simply seat the GOP candidate as the winner. Only it blew up in their faces when several Republicans voted against their own party’s scheme. A special election will take place on Feb. 21, and that’s why [Daily Kos is proudly endorsing state Rep. Chuck Grassie for reelection.]( [Can you donate $10 or even $20 to show the GOP there’s a price to pay for trying to dismantle democracy?]( [DONATE]( The stakes are extremely high. Every seat we can whittle away from the GOP makes it harder for Republicans to advance their far-right agenda, as proven by the fact that a handful of their own members opposed their attempt to blow up the special election. But they still have all sorts of horrid bills in the works, like a near-total ban on abortion and a measure prohibiting teachers from calling students by their preferred names or pronouns—on pain of losing their teaching license. What’s more, New Hampshire is a perennial swing state. It may not be the biggest one, but had Al Gore not lost it by a single point in 2000, he’d have won the presidency—without Florida. In a close race, every electoral vote counts, and a victory here would make it that much harder for the GOP to subvert the 2024 elections for Donald Trump. And that’s why it’s so important we help Chuck Grassie. Few have walked the progressive walk like he has. Grassie has served multiple stints in the legislature dating back to the 1970s, when, way ahead of his time, he first sponsored a bill to decriminalize marijuana. In his long and remarkable career, he’s been a fierce advocate for reproductive rights, helped pass legislation to cap the cost of insulin, and has served as head of the House Progressive Caucus. His Republican opponent, David Walker, could not be more different. He’s been endorsed by one the state’s most high-profile anti-choice organizations, New Hampshire Right to Life, which only backs candidates who will “defend all human life without exception.” With abortion rights under attack everywhere, he’d be another vote eager to roll back reproductive freedoms. You don’t need us to tell you just how swingy this district is—after all, how many elections end in a tie? But that closeness wasn’t just a one-off fluke: Joe Biden carried this district (known locally as Rochester Ward 4 and more formally as Strafford County District 8) by just 51-47 margin, so this one could truly go either way. Republicans know that as well as we do, and they’re desperate to pad their thin majority. What we can say for sure is that your grassroots dollars will go a long way since the winner will likely prevail with fewer than 1,000 votes. Republicans once again showed they have zero respect for democracy when they tried to cancel this election. Let’s show them what we think of that. [Please donate $5 or $10 to help Democrats keep a key seat in the New Hampshire House blue!]( [DONATE]( Thank you, David Nir, Political Director Daily Kos Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.