Republican Michael Murphy won against Democrat opponent Edith Tucker in the special election for New Hampshire State House Coos County 6 on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ projections.
With almost all votes counted, Murphy beat Tucker 53.8 percent to 46.2 percent, flipping a seat previously held by a Democrat in a district that President Joe Biden carried by 12 points in 2020.
Murphy’s victory also helps to bolster Republicans’ trifecta in the state, filling one of four state House seats currently vacant. Murphy’s race was one of two special election State House races on Tuesday to fill two of those vacancies. Before Murphy’s win, Republicans held a slim 198-195 majority in the House, with three lawmakers registered as independent or other.
The special election occurred on the same day as the New Hampshire Primary, where former President Donald Trump beat out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) 55 percent to 43 percent.
Even so, Haley declined to drop out of the race, making her the last Republican to challenge the former president, who is widely expected to be the Republican nominee.
Trump’s victory comes after a landslide victory in Iowa on January 15 after which several of his competitors dropped out of the race and endorsed him.