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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
5 deadly funny cartoons about Joni Ernst's new catchphrase
Cartoons Political cartoons on 'We are all going to die'
-
Why concert tickets cost so much
The Explainer High-profile music tours now come with eye-watering price-tags. But Ticketmaster isn't entirely to blame
-
Arrábida Natural Park: a coastal paradise just outside Lisbon
The Week Recommends The park stretches along the south coast of the Setúbal Peninsula in Portugal
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain