Hampton Republican hangs on to win nomination by 1 vote

Sep. 18—CONCORD — A Hampton Republican hung onto a one-vote victory over a GOP rival for nomination to a New Hampshire House seat in the only recount from last week's primary election.

After the recount, Linda McGrath, a part-time pharmacist, finished with the same number of votes she received last Tuesday, 1,840, while her opponent, Rockingham County Deputy Sheriff Richard Sawyer Jr. of Hampton, gained one from last week to finish with 1,839.

"I have had more people come up to me and say I was the deciding vote, I made the difference," said McGrath, the GOP nominee for the single-member district that includes Hampton and Seabrook.

The extra vote for Sawyer during the recount came from Hampton, where he defeated McGrath, 933-877.

McGrath won the nomination by defeating Sawyer in Seabrook, 463-406.

McGrath said she went to bed on primary night believing she had lost by seven votes based on some unofficial results reported on a media website.

"Then I got a call first thing the morning that said I had won by two; it's been a roller coaster ride," McGrath said.

After the recount, Sawyer said he enjoyed the experience.

"Congratulations to Linda on her victory!" Sawyer posted on his Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.

A former Hampton police chief, Sawyer had the backing of the New Hampshire Police Association based on his 35-year career in law enforcement.

Sawyer said one of his top priorities was to improve the retirement system benefits for first responders, a system that he said has hampered recruitment of new officers.

McGrath said her No. 1 issue is opposing vaccine and other mandates.

She said she lost her job at Walmart for refusing to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to very young children.

"I think government did a disservice to so many people during the pandemic, such as by closing churches but letting people go to liquor stores," McGrath said.

In 2022, McGrath ran as a write-in and was elected as a Republican delegate to the state convention.

She is co-clerk of the Hampton Republican Town Committee.

McGrath said she moved to Hampton three years ago and started a study group about the Constitution that helped make new friends.

She will face Democratic nominee John Carty of Seabrook on Nov. 5.

The two Republicans were running to replace as GOP nominee three-term state Rep. Jason Janvrin, R-Seabrook, who had decided to run in a different House district that nominated two candidates from his hometown.

Janvrin lost his own primary last week, finishing third, 99 votes behind the second-place finisher.

klandrigan@unionleader.com