Democrats win two state House seats, flipping their 39th GOP seat of the Trump era


Democrats contested three state legislative seats in Republican-leaning districts on Tuesday and won two of them, flipping their 39th seat since President Trump's inauguration and their sixth this year.
In New Hampshire, Democrat Phil Spagnuolo beat Republican Les Cartier, 54 percent to 46 percent, to represent a state House district Trump won 54 percent to 41 percent in 2016. Spagnuolo, a substance abuse recovery coach, campaigned on fighting the opioid epidemic and improving the economy. The seat was vacated after the death of state Rep. Donald Flanders (R) in September.
In Connecticut, Stratford town council member Phil Young became the first Democrat to win the House seat in District 120 in 44 years. He beat fellow town council member Bill Cabral, a Republican, to replace Laura Hoydick (R), who stepped down when she was elected Stratford's mayor. Hillary Clinton narrowly won the district in 2016, 50 percent to 49 percent. Young's platform included fighting opioid addiction, protecting the environment, and funding schools.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Democrats' luck ran out in Kentucky's House District 89, where Republican Robert Goforth, a pharmacist, beat Democratic librarian Kelly Smith by 33 percentage points in a district Trump won by 62 points.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office