New Hampshire's 1st congressional district explained

State:	New Hampshire
District Number:	1
Image Caption:	Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative:	Chris Pappas
Party:	Democratic
Residence:	Manchester
Percent Urban:	69.55
Percent Rural:	30.45
Population:	708,843
Population Year:	2024
Median Income:	$102,258^[1]
Percent White:	87.3
Percent Hispanic:	4.3
Percent Black:	1.5
Percent Asian:	2.5
Percent More Than One Race:	3.8
Percent Other Race:	0.6
Cpvi:	D+2^[2]

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.^[3] It is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Democrat Chris Pappas.

The district was 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.^[4] In 2024, the district voted for Kamala Harris, even though she lost the election.

History

This district is competitive, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+2. 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. The district was a presidential bellwether starting in 2000, voting for the winner by narrow margins each time until 2024, when Kamala Harris narrowly carried the district.^[5]

Composition

As of the 2021 redistricting cycle, the 1st district contains 74 municipalities.^[6]

Belknap County (9)

Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia, Meredith, Sanbornton, Tilton

Carroll County (15)

Bartlett, Brookfield, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, Effingham, Freedom, Hart's Location, Madison, Moultonborough, Ossipee, Tamworth, Tuftonboro, Wakefield, Wolfeboro

Hillsborough County (4)

Bedford, Goffstown, Manchester, Merrimack

Merrimack County (1)

Hooksett

Rockingham County (32)

Auburn, Brentwood, Candia, Chester, Danville, Derry, East Kingston, Epping, Exeter, Fremont, Greenland, Hampstead, Hampton, Hampton Falls, Kensington, Kingston, Londonderry, New Castle, Newfields, Newington, Newmarket, Newton, North Hampton, Nottingham, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Raymond, Rye, Sandown, Seabrook, South Hampton, Stratham

Strafford County (13)

All 13 municipalities

Recent election results from statewide races

Year	Office	Results^[7]
2008	President	Obama 53% - 46%
2008	Senate	Shaheen 50% - 47%
2010	Senate	Ayotte 62% - 34%
2010	Governor	Lynch 51% - 47%
2012	President	Obama 51% - 49%
2012	Governor	Hassan 53% - 44%
2014	Governor	Hassan 51% - 49%
2014	Senate	Brown 51% - 49%
2016	President	Trump 48% - 46%
	Senate	Ayotte 49% - 47%
	Governor	Sununu 50% - 45%
2018	Governor	Sununu 55% - 44%
2020	President	Biden 52% - 46%
	Senate	Shaheen 56% - 42%
	Governor	Sununu 67% - 32%
2022	Senate	Hassan 53% - 45%
2022	Governor	Sununu 58% - 40%
2024	President	Harris 50% - 48%
2024	Governor	Ayotte 54% - 44%

List of members representing the district

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District established March 4, 1847
Amos Tuck		Independent	nowrap	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849		Elected late on March 9, 1847. Re-elected late on March 13, 1849. Re-elected late on March 11, 1851. Lost re-election.
	Free Soil	nowrap	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851
	Whig	nowrap	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853
align=left	George W. Kittredge		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855		Elected late on March 8, 1853. Lost re-election.
James Pike		Know Nothing	nowrap	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857		Elected late on March 13, 1855. Re-elected late on March 10, 1857. Retired.
	Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859
align=left	Gilman Marston		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863		Elected late on March 8, 1859. Re-elected late on March 12, 1861. Retired to serve in the Union Army.
align=left	Daniel Marcy		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865		Elected late on March 10, 1863. Lost re-election.
align=left	Gilman Marston		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1867		Elected late on March 14, 1865. Lost re-election.
align=left	Jacob Hart Ela		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1871		Elected late on March 12, 1867. Re-elected late on March 9, 1869. Retired.
align=left	Ellery Albee Hibbard		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873		Elected late on March 14, 1871. Lost re-election.
align=left	William B. Small		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875		Elected late on March 11, 1873. Retired.
align=left	Frank Jones		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879		Elected late on March 9, 1875. Re-elected late on March 13, 1877. Retired.
align=left	Joshua G. Hall		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883		Elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired.
align=left	Martin Alonzo Haynes		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887		Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Lost re-election.
align=left	Luther F. McKinney		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889		Elected in 1886. Lost re-election.
align=left	Alonzo Nute		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891		Elected in 1888. Retired to run for Governor of New Hampshire.
align=left	Luther F. McKinney		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893		Elected in 1890. Retired to run for Governor of New Hampshire.
align=left	Henry W. Blair		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895		Elected in 1892. Retired.
align=left	Cyrus A. Sulloway		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1913		Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Lost re-election.
align=left	Eugene Elliott Reed		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915		Elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
align=left	Cyrus A. Sulloway		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1915 – March 11, 1917		Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	March 11, 1917 – May 29, 1917
align=left	Sherman Everett Burroughs		Republican	nowrap	May 29, 1917 – January 27, 1923		Elected to finish Sulloway's term. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Retired and died before next term began.
Vacant		nowrap	January 27, 1923 – March 3, 1923
align=left	William Nathaniel Rogers		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925		Elected in 1922. Lost re-election.
align=left	Fletcher Hale		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1925 – October 22, 1931		Elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	October 22, 1931 – January 5, 1932
align=left	William Nathaniel Rogers		Democratic	nowrap	January 5, 1932 – January 3, 1937		Elected to finish Hale's term. Re-elected in 1934. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
align=left	Arthur B. Jenks		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1937 – June 9, 1938		Elected in 1936. Lost election contest.
align=left	Alphonse Roy		Democratic	nowrap	June 9, 1938 – January 3, 1939		Successfully contested Jenks's election. Lost re-election.
align=left	Arthur B. Jenks		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1943		Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost renomination.
align=left	Chester Earl Merrow		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1963		Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
align=left	Louis C. Wyman		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965		Elected in 1962. Lost re-election.
align=left	Joseph Oliva Huot		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967		Elected in 1964. Lost re-election.
align=left	Louis C. Wyman		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1967 – December 31, 1974		Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Retired to run for U.S. senator and resigned when appointed.
Vacant		nowrap	December 31, 1974 – January 3, 1975
align=left	Norman D'Amours		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985		Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
align=left	Bob Smith		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1985 – December 7, 1990		Elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Retired to run for U.S. Senator, but resigned when appointed.
Vacant		nowrap	December 7, 1990 – January 3, 1991
align=left	Bill Zeliff		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997		Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired to run for Governor of New Hampshire.
align=left	John E. Sununu		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003		Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
align=left	Jeb Bradley		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007		Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Lost re-election.
align=left	Carol Shea-Porter		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011		Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election.
align=left	Frank Guinta		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013		Elected in 2010. Lost re-election.
align=left	Carol Shea-Porter		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015		Re-elected in 2012. Lost re-election.
align=left	Frank Guinta		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017		Re-elected in 2014. Lost re-election.
align=left	Carol Shea-Porter		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019		Re-elected in 2016. Retired.
align=left	Chris Pappas		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 2019 – present		Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. Retiring to run for U.S. Senator.

Electoral history

2024

Historical district boundaries

References

Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. 1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York.
Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. 1982. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York.
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

Web site: My Congressional District: Congressional District 1 (119th Congress), New Hampshire . United States Census Bureau.
Web site: 2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress). 2025-04-05. Cook Political Report. en.
Web site: Employers.jsp. 2021-04-18. www2.nhes.nh.gov.
Web site: Districts of Change, Part Two: Looking Beyond the Straight-Party Districts.
Web site: Just 47 House districts flipped in the last three presidential elections. What do they tell us?.
Web site: New Hampshire - Congressional District 1 - Representative Chris Pappas . https://web.archive.org/web/20250224113121/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST33/CD118_NH01.pdf . 2025-02-24.
Web site: DRA 2020 . 2025-07-25 . davesredistricting.org.

43.4578°N -71.1992°W