Democrats flipped their 38th and 39th Republican-held state legislative seats since President Donald Trump took office Tuesday, with wins in New Hampshire and Connecticut state House races.
The two races were the latest in a string of legislative victories – including races in Wisconsin, Missouri, Florida and Kentucky this year – that Democrats see as a sign of strong voter enthusiasm headed into November’s midterm elections, where control of the House and Senate are up for grabs.
In New Hampshire, Democrat Philip Spagnuolo defeated Republican Les Cartier, 54% to 46%, in a district Trump won by 13 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election. The district moved rightward after former President Barack Obama notched a one-point win there over Mitt Romney in 2012.
In Connecticut, Democrat Phil Young narrowly bested Republican Bill Cabral for a seat that the GOP had held for 44 years, though Hillary Clinton beat Trump there by 2 points in 2016.
New Hampshire has been the home of five of the 38 red-to-blue flips since Trump took office. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the party’s arm that focuses on statehouse races, has spent $150,000 in the state on staff, advertising and campaign operations.
