NH House Democrats nominate Simpson to be next speaker ahead of Dec. 2 vote

Rep. Alexis Simpson, who has led the New Hampshire House Democrats as minority leader for two years, is the caucus’ pick for speaker of the House. House Democrats met in Concord Thursday to vote on who to rally behind to lead the chamber. On Dec. 2, the entire New Hampshire House of Representatives will meet to officially elect the speaker. After Democrats won a supermajority in last week’s elections, the party controls who holds the speaker’s gavel. Thursday’s meeting was an attempt by Democrats to get on the same page before the final vote. Still, fractures have emerged within the party in recent weeks after Rep. Jim Maggiore, a former Republican candidate who now represents North Hampton as a Democrat, unsuccessfully challenged her for the role and rallied a group of supporters unhappy with Simpson’s leadership. The final vote was 200-75. Simpson is a Christian minister who represents Exeter. This will be her fifth term in the House.

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