State appears to have its first-ever Executive Council occupied by all Democrats

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD – The state has never had an all-Democratic Executive Council, but it appears from unofficial vote tallies that it will have one for the next two years after voters turned out and turned down re-election bids for four seats held by Republicans, Tuesday.

“This election marks an extraordinary new chapter for New Hampshire,” said Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, the lone Democrat currently on the five-member council who won re-election.

The council approves all state contracts over $10,000 and the governor’s nominations.

In a telephone interview, Wednesday she said she did not consider a scenario where it would be all Democrats on the council and was surprised by the vote.

She noted it comes with “tremendous responsibility…voters’ expectations are going to be high so it’s going to be a challenge.”

Liot Hill is finishing her first term on the council.

“After two years as the only Democrat on the Executive Council, I’m thrilled to welcome four new colleagues to the table, and I take seriously the responsibility that comes with this new majority.

“At both the state and federal levels, voters have changed the balance of power, reaffirming the importance of checks and balances in our democracy. Those checks and balances are not obstacles to good government – they are essential to good government,” she said in an email to InDepthNH.org on Wednesday.

“The standards of accountability and transparency that I’ve insisted upon for the past two years won’t change because the majority has changed. I look forward to working with my new colleagues, Governor Ayotte, and the Legislature to address the challenges facing New Hampshire, particularly affordability, property taxes, and essential public services. We have a tremendous opportunity – and a responsibility – to deliver results for the people we serve,” she said.

Although the votes were not official or certified at the time of this writing, the new members-elect of the council appear to be Democrats Luz Bay of Dover for District 1, Liot Hill for District 2, Lisa Kennedy Sheldon of Portsmouth for District 3, Jim O’Connell of Manchester for District 4 and Melanie Levesque of Nashua for District 5.

The new council will be sworn in in January and serve for two years.

Liot Hill said when the council meets next Tuesday she will be asking Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver when the new council might expect to see reproductive health contracts back on the council table, as the Republican-controlled council refused to support such contracts beginning in 2021.

She also said she expects the vacancy on the state’s Supreme Court and issues related to childcare to be among issues that come forward fairly soon in the next session.

Liot Hill said she hoped the governor would approach judicial selection in a way that restores public trust in that body.

NHDP Chair Ray Buckley issued a statement following the vote that included the council.

“In another historic win for our party, Granite Staters have elected Democrats to all five seats on the Executive Council, including the first two Executive Councilors of color in New Hampshire history. Tonight’s results represent a full repudiation of the way Republicans in Concord have saddled Granite Staters with higher costs and ineffective leadership. Every single candidate ran an incredible campaign, and we are ready for them to get to work to deliver results for New Hampshire.”

Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund also issued a statement on the historic Democratic wins on not only the council but in the House and Senate.

“This victory is a resounding win for reproductive rights, health care, and the freedom for all Granite Staters to make their own health care decisions,” said Kayla Montgomery, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund. “Voters made it clear that they are tired of New Hampshire’s anti-abortion trifecta and their focus on taking away our health and rights.

“Granite Staters want their lawmakers to make health care, including abortion, more affordable and available, not less. We look forward to working with this new government to improve health care for Granite Staters.”

All five candidates for New Hampshire Executive Council ran and won on their commitment to restore critical family planning funding and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund PAC. The last time the council had a pro-reproductive health majority was 2018.

Planned Parenthood Votes focused on 47 anti-sexual and reproductive health care NH House incumbents; of those, at least 42 flipped.

The New Hampshire Executive Council rejected five state contracts for reproductive health care providers totaling $1.3 million since July 2021.

Family Planning contracts are specifically for preventative sexual and reproductive health care, such as birth control, STI testing and treatment, and cancer screenings. These contracts cannot be used – and have never been used – to help cover abortion care services.

In Fiscal Year 2026, over 11,000 Granite Staters relied on PPNNE’s four New Hampshire health centers (and telehealth) for high-quality, affordable health care. During the last state budget process, the NH House voted to eliminate the NH Family Planning Program in its entirety. It was later restored by the NH Senate but at 50% funding.

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