Kenney over Cryans in close executive council race

CONWAY — The vote was too close to call Tuesday night, but by Wednesday morning it was clear Joe Kenney had won the special election for the executive council seat left vacant by Ray Burton.

"We appreciate the vote of support," Kenney told the New Hampshire Union Leader early Wednesday, "and look forward to carrying on the Burton legacy of constituent service."
Kenney, a former New Hampshire House rep, state senator and Republican candidate for governor, won by nearly 1,300 votes in an election where more than 42,000 ballots were cast.
Democrat Mike Cryans, who served with Burton on the Grafton County Commission, was initially reluctant to concede the race. "We are waiting for the last several towns to report their results," he said, "and ensure that every voter is heard."
By mid morning Wednesday, however, the outcome of the race was clear, and Cryans congratulated his opponent.
"A few minutes ago I left a message for Joe Kenney and wished him the best of luck on the council," Cryans said. "I want to thank him for running a hard-fought campaign, thank all the people who volunteered and supported either of us, and the Burton family for their support."
Both candidates had stressed the importance of carrying on the legacy of Ray Burton, the longtime district one executive councilor who died of cancer in the fall. Burton held the seat for more than three decades, and he was renown for his dedication to his constituents.
"That's what this election has been all about," Kenney said. "It's not been about ideology. It's been about helping people and that's what resonated with the voters."
Kenney will now have big shoes to fill. The first district stretches from the Canadian border to southern New Hampshire, and Burton was well recognized in every corner. He also had a tendency to win by landslide votes, garnering the support of Democrats and Republicans alike.
Mount Washington Valley went largely for Cryans, but some of the smaller communities did support Kenney. Conway split for Cryans by a vote of 425 to 300, according to official election results from the Secretary of State's office. Bartlett also supported Cryans, 379 to 307, Madison the same, 215 to 169, and Jackson as well, 205 Cryans, 109 Kenney. Albany was a close race, 109 to 105, but it also went to Cryans. Eaton even tighter, 56 to 53, but still for Cryans. Hales Location was squarely in Kenney's corner, 25 to 7, while Hart's Location went 13 to 4 for Cryans. Chatham was close, 20 to 18, but it fell to Kenney.
The election will put one more Republican voice on the five person executive council, which oversees the majority of decisions made by the governor, but Democrats still hold a majority of the seats.
The seat will be back in play in November, however, when the executive council will be back up for election. The stage could even be set for a rematch.
"This is just the beginning for Mike Cryans," the New Hampshire Democratic Party said in a statement Wednesday.
The statement went on to say the the race was a good sign for Democrats, despite Kenney's victory. "For more than half a century this has been a Republican stronghold," the statement said. "Mike's campaign proved that is no longer true, outperforming the last 20 years of Democratic campaigns for this seat. These results show that even in Republican-leaning districts, New Hampshire Democrats are poised for victory in 2014."