| Elections in New Hampshire |
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The 2004 New Hampshire gubernatorial election occurred on November 2, 2004, concurrent with that year's presidential election. Democrat John Lynch, a multimillionaire businessman from Hopkinton, narrowly defeated incumbent Republican governor Craig Benson of Rye, winning a two-year term. Benson was the first New Hampshire governor in 80 years to lose reelection after one term. Lynch was sworn in on January 6, 2005.
To date, Benson is the most recent incumbent governor to lose reelection in any New England state.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Lynch, businessman and University System of New Hampshire Trustee
- Paul McEachern, perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Lynch | 43,798 | 74.28% | |
| Democratic | Paul McEachern | 14,403 | 24.43% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 761 | 1.29% | |
| Total votes | 58,962 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Craig Benson, incumbent governor of New Hampshire
- Charles Tarbell, New Castle selectman
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Craig Benson (incumbent) | 49,097 | 74.00% | |
| Republican | Charles Tarbell | 13,621 | 20.53% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 3,632 | 5.47% | |
| Total votes | 66,350 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Lean R | November 1, 2004 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Lynch | 340,299 | 51.02% | +12.80% | |
| Republican | Craig Benson (incumbent) | 325,981 | 48.87% | −9.75% | |
| Write-in | 740 | 0.11% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 667,020 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
By county
| County | John Lynch Democratic |
Craig Benson Republican |
Various candidates Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Belknap | 14,304 | 44.8% | 17,598 | 55.1% | 45 | 0.1% | -3,294 | -10.3% | 31,947 |
| Carroll | 12,003 | 43.1% | 15,797 | 56.8% | 20 | 0.1% | -3,794 | -13.7% | 27,820 |
| Cheshire | 24,085 | 59.6% | 16,225 | 40.1% | 107 | 0.3% | 7,860 | 19.5% | 40,417 |
| Coos | 8,884 | 53.2% | 7,790 | 46.7% | 14 | 0.1% | 1,094 | 6.5% | 16,688 |
| Grafton | 25,043 | 54.5% | 20,842 | 45.4% | 45 | 0.1% | 4,201 | 9.1% | 45,930 |
| Hillsborough | 91,344 | 47.5% | 100,867 | 52.4% | 205 | 0.1% | -9,523 | -4.9% | 192,416 |
| Merrimack | 45,403 | 59.8% | 30,443 | 40.1% | 89 | 0.1% | 14,960 | 19.7% | 75,935 |
| Rockingham | 75,885 | 48.6% | 80,174 | 51.3% | 141 | 0.1% | -4,289 | -2.7% | 156,200 |
| Strafford | 31,912 | 54.8% | 26,261 | 45.1% | 56 | 0.1% | 5,651 | 9.7% | 58,229 |
| Sullivan | 11,436 | 53.3% | 9,984 | 46.6% | 24 | 0.1% | 1,452 | 6.7% | 21,444 |
| Totals | 340,299 | 51.0% | 325,981 | 48.9% | 740 | 0.1% | 14,318 | 2.1% | 667,020 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
See also
References
- ↑ "NH-SOS - NHSOS". Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ↑ "NH-SOS - NHSOS". Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ↑ "The Final Predictions". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ↑ "NH-SOS - NHSOS". Archived from the original on November 26, 2004. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
