Two New Hampshire Libertarians, who recently secured the nomination of the New Hampshire Democratic Party in their respective county-level elections, have generated recent press due to their uncommon success with electoral fusionism.
Nicholas Sarwark and Richard Manzo surprised primary voters last month when both candidates won the Democratic nomination for their respective races after no other candidate formally filed their intent to run. Both candidates had already secured a place on the ballot under the Libertarian designation at the time of voting. Republicans Christopher Connelly and Toni Pappas also successfully won the Democratic endorsement in their races.
As previously reported, both candidates are legally allowed to appear on the ballot under two distinct columns as long as they satisfy the criteria outlined for electoral fusion. Under New Hampshire law, candidates who win an open seat through a successful write-in effort are allowed to appear on the ballot under their initial label and that of the party whose primary they had won.
News of electoral fusion has begun to spread across the state and national media, likely resulting from numerous New Hampshire voters approaching the Secretary of State’s office for additional information or out of confusion. For example, the Keene Sentinel, a local publication servicing Keene, NH, recently did a spotlight on Nicholas Sarwark, exploring his fusion campaign in further detail.
Speaking with Rick Green of the Keene Sentinel, Sarwark said that he’s not sure elected prosecutors should be in a partisan office. “I don’t think there is a Republican, or Democratic or Libertarian way to seek justice for victims of crime.” Readers can find additional information regarding Nicholas Sarwark’s campaign on the Keene Sentinel website.
Vote totals released by the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office following the primary election show that Sarwark earned 1,023 votes in his race for Hillsborough County Attorney, and Manzo earned 993 write-in votes in his race for Hillsborough County Treasurer. No other candidate came close. Vote splitting is not a concern, as both candidates will see both columns combined for determining the final total.