After big numbers of voters turned out yesterday, Derry state Senate candidate Jim Rausch came out on top.
Rausch, a former five-term Republican state representative, took the District 19 race against Kristi St. Laurent, getting more than twice the Windham woman's vote total, 11,309 to 5,365. District 19 includes Derry, Hampstead and Windham.
State Sen. Robert Letourneau, R-Derry, did not seek re-election.
Rausch's hometown of Derry gave him big numbers, 5,759 votes out of more than 9,200 ballots cast.
Rausch said he would continue to work at the state level to advocate for the Interstate 93 expansion from Salem to Manchester, and would support changing the state's educational funding formula to eliminate the huge disparities that exist.
For St. Laurent, it was her first foray into the political limelight. A member of the Windham Planning Board, she opposed broad-based taxes during her candidacy, but said she believed lawmakers have to keep all their options open and hold on to the "New Hampshire advantage."
The strong Republican showing yesterday filtered into other contests as well, including Derry's state representative race, where 11 GOP candidates shut out the Democratic contenders.
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