BEDFORD, N.H. – Matt Mowers, the Republican Challenger for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District Seat, stopped by Bedford High School around 1 p.m. on Election Day to cast a vote for himself and buoy the spirits of campaign volunteers standing outside the polls.
Mowers arrived in Bedford after stops in other nearby suburban towns such as Merrimack, Londonderry and Derry, saying that he saw people waiting in line as early as 5 a.m. in some places to cast their ballot.
From everyone Mowers talked to at those earlier stops, he left with an impression that Republicans will have a good day.
“I’m seeing enthusiasm, you’ve got a lot of folks going out there,” said Mowers. “Obviously Governor Sununu is going to do very well, and I think you’ll see some other tighter races that what we had been expecting.”
After Bedford, Mowers planned to head to the Seacoast and Manchester, but he was not the only person at Bedford High School who had gone to other polls earlier in the day.
Tanna Clews arrived shortly before Mowers to hold signs for Democratic candidates, after holding signs at the polls in Portsmouth. Clews noted the partisan difference between Portsmouth, one of the most Democratic parts of New Hampshire, and Bedford, one of its most Republican areas. Like what Mowers saw with the early lines, Clews reported heavy turnout when she was in Portsmouth.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a well-oiled machine,” she said. “They got us in as quickly as they could, but I have never seen that many people at a polling place before.”
Clews tentatively predicted a strong showing for Democrats, and she was not alone. Bedford voter Dennis Periquet felt that Democrats would do better than they might have if the COVID-19 pandemic.
Periquet, who voted straight ticket for Democrats, felt that most people vote with their wallets and that fact would buoy Trump during normal times.
While he was hesitant to predict the election’s outcome, he left with a positive feeling, stating that it only took him four minutes to vote from door-to-door.
“I guess it’s great to be out, it’s good to have everyone exercise their right to vote,” he said. “Hopefully everyone here followed their heart and voted their beliefs.”
Periquet says he did not notice Mowers vote just feet away from him, and neither did 21-year-old Calen Katroubas.
“I didn’t know it was him standing there right next to me until someone tapped him on the back and said ‘hey, I voted for you,” said Katroubas.
Tuesday was the first ever presidential election for Katroubas, and it was busier compared to other elections he had attended with his parents in the past. He says he voted straight-ticket Republican, but also said he was not paying much attention to down-ballot races.
Katroubas also worried that the conclusion of Election Day might not provide a respite to the extreme partisan division that has engulfed the country.
“Part of me thinks that things will calm down, but part of me feels like there will be more protests whoever wins,” he said. “Hopefully there won’t be any riots, but I fear their will be some.”
