New Hampshire's 1st congressional district covers parts of Southern New Hampshire and the eastern portion of the state. The district contains parts of Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Grafton, and Belknap counties; and the entirety of Strafford and Carroll counties. The district contains Manchester, New Hampshire's most populous city, and its immediate suburbs. Most of the district's population resides in Rockingham County, which includes much of the Seacoast Region. The northern part of the district in Belknap, Carroll, and Grafton counties are far more rural. The district is home to the University of New Hampshire, the state's largest university. Some of the largest employers in the district are Fidelity Investments, J. Jill, Elliot Health System, and The University System of New Hampshire. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Democrat Chris Pappas. The district is one of seven with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of EVEN, meaning that the district votes almost identically to the national electorate. It was also identified as a presidential bellwether district by Sabato's Crystal Ball, having voted for the Electoral College winner in the past four presidential elections as of 2020.

History

This district is competitive, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of EVEN. During the mid-2000s and the 2010s, the district was extremely competitive, having changed hands in five of the last eight elections, with an incumbent losing reelection each time. The streak was broken in 2020 when incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas won reelection; he later won reelection again in 2022, becoming the first representative elected to a third consecutive term in the district since John E. Sununu. Since 2000, the district has been a presidential bellwether, voting for the winner by narrow margins each time.

Composition

As of the 2021 redistricting cycle, the 1st district contains 74 municipalities. Belknap County (9) Carroll County (15) Hillsborough County (4) Merrimack County (1) Rockingham County (32) Strafford County (13)

Election results from statewide races

Election results from presidential races: Election results from statewide races:

List of members representing the district

Electoral history

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Historical district boundaries