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Lily Foss

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Lily M. Foss
Image of Lily M. Foss
New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41
Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

0

Compensation

Base salary

$100/year

Per diem

$No per diem is paid

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Manchester Memorial High School

Bachelor's

Scripps College, 2013

Personal
Birthplace
Manchester, N.H.
Religion
Unitarian Universalist
Profession
Advocacy
Contact

Lily M. Foss (Democratic Party) is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Hillsborough 41. She assumed office on December 4, 2024. Her current term ends on December 2, 2026.

Foss (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives to represent Hillsborough 41. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Foss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lily M. Foss was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. She earned a bachelor's degree from Scripps College in 2013. Her career experience includes working in advocacy.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lily M. Foss
Lily M. Foss (D) Candidate Connection
 
19.6
 
7,085
Image of Tim Hartnett
Tim Hartnett (D)
 
18.4
 
6,642
Image of Karen Hegner
Karen Hegner (D)
 
17.3
 
6,249
Ryan Hebert (R)
 
16.1
 
5,819
Image of Melodye Smith
Melodye Smith (R)
 
14.3
 
5,184
Lee Davis (R)
 
14.3
 
5,154
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
20

Total votes: 36,153
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41 (3 seats)

Lily M. Foss, Tim Hartnett, and Karen Hegner defeated Mary Smith and Rebecca Smith in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41 on September 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lily M. Foss
Lily M. Foss Candidate Connection
 
27.7
 
1,574
Image of Tim Hartnett
Tim Hartnett
 
24.6
 
1,400
Image of Karen Hegner
Karen Hegner
 
20.4
 
1,159
Mary Smith
 
14.7
 
835
Rebecca Smith
 
12.3
 
698
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
22

Total votes: 5,688
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41 (3 seats)

Ryan Hebert, Melodye Smith, and Lee Davis advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41 on September 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Ryan Hebert
 
38.4
 
1,326
Image of Melodye Smith
Melodye Smith
 
31.1
 
1,074
Lee Davis
 
29.3
 
1,012
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.2
 
41

Total votes: 3,453
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Foss in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Lily M. Foss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Foss' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My family first came to Manchester from Ireland in 1905. My great-great-grandmother, an immigrant from County Cork, was a CIO organizer in the Mills. Her daughter, my great-grandmother, was a nurse at the VA who raised three children as a single mother after she was widowed when my grandfather was only eight. My mother and grandmother have been my biggest supporters throughout this race and ingrained in me many of the values that are central to my campaign, including reproductive freedom, labor rights, and the importance of a strong social safety net. I'm immensely proud of the four generations of strong, Manchester women who got me where I am today, and I'm also proud of myself and the work I've put in to learn and shape my own values. My positions are based on data about what Granite Staters want and the potential impact of policies, not what any outside entities determine for me. I'm an out-of-the-box thinker who is passionate about the potential of government to improve people's lives, but thoughtful about how to make that change happen. This balance will make me an effective and responsible legislator.
  • In a UNH poll, Granite Staters said that housing was a higher concern for them than any other issue. In my day job, I work as a fair housing advocate doing outreach and education. Personally, I am also a renter, and I've experienced the crushing weight of high rents and low availability. I believe that we need to have affordable and fair housing, which includes housing choice. We can't just concentrate affordable housing in one part of a community; people should be able to choose their neighborhood, their commute, their children's schools, and the myriad other factors that go into selecting a place to live.
  • Environmental justice is tied closely to housing choice for me. When we think of environmental issues, we think of things like clean energy, climate change, and recycling. What people don't often think of is the inequality perpetuated by bad environmental policy. For example, people in areas of the city that have poorer residents often experience more light and sound pollution. The parks near them are not as well-maintained, and it isn't easy to access green spaces. They may not have a living space that allows for air conditioning, or they may not be able to pay the bills associated with climate control. It's vitally important to legislate environmental policy with a social justice mindset.
  • One of my earliest political memories is of my mother discussing abortion rights with me--I was probably around five or six. She and my grandmother are staunchly pro-choice, and I am proud to continue that legacy. I've been actively advocating for reproductive freedom since I was in college, and I hope to do the same in the State House. The fact that New Hampshire is the only New England state with an abortion ban is shameful, and the fact that some legislators tried to pass a stricter ban is disgraceful and does not reflect the wishes of Granite Staters--polling data shows that. I would fight to repeal our existing abortion ban and pass an affirmative right to an abortion.
Housing, social justice, reproductive freedom, labor rights, public education, stopping public funding of religious education.
I am an agnostic Unitarian Universalist, and the Seven/Eight Principles of Unitarian Universalism reflect the overarching philosophy that guides me. I also take inspiration from an Irish proverb that (translated) says, "It is in the shelter of each other that people live."
Integrity, accountability, conviction, creativity, and listening skills.
People need to be willing to go out and actually interact with their constituents. If you never encounter the people who elected you, how will you know how to represent them? If I am elected and can work out the logistics, I would like to have "office hours" where constituents can come talk to me, whether it's to discuss an issue or just to chat.
I turned six the month before Bill Clinton was elected to a second term. That summer, I made "campaign signs" with magic marker and stuck them around our apartment. They were very eloquent: "NO Steve Forbes. NO Pat Buchanan. YES Bill Clinton." I wouldn't get them printed now, but they weren't too bad for a five-year-old!
I worked at Build-A-Bear Workshop in the Mall of New Hampshire from ages 16-22 and absolutely loved it! It taught me so much about how to relate to people and make persuasive points, as well as providing me with lifelong friends (one of whom is now a potential constituent).
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," which I first read at age 11, the same age Francie is at the beginning of the book. Francie's growth and the honesty with which the people around her are depicted are so beautiful, and I relate to her in many ways.
Undoubtedly something from The Tortured Poets Department.
The current housing crisis is untenable. If things continue the way they're going, the only people who can afford to live here will be the affluent few or those who were fortunate enough to purchase a house many years ago when they were actually affordable, like my parents and grandparents. I am the first person in my family for generations to not own property by my age, and my rent is currently higher than my parents' mortgage. The trend of building housing that is only affordable to those coming to the state to work in the tech field (a field which, to be clear, has been a positive development in the state) will drive out people like nurses, teachers, firefighters, social service retail and food service professionals, and anyone else who cannot afford to pay $1,800 for a one-bedroom apartment (the current average in Manchester, per rent.com).
I think it can be helpful to the legislator, as it's easier to understand how government works and how to run a campaign if you already know something about it. But for the legislative body as a whole, I think it benefits from diversity of experience among the members. For example, while I do have a degree in Politics & International Relations, my experience in non-partisan housing advocacy informs much of my campaign and would inform my legislative priorities if I am elected. I have had quite the diverse job history, from public school special education to AmeriCorps anti-hunger advocacy, pharmacy billing to janitorial work. All of it is important to my perspective and allows me to connect with more Granite Staters that I would be able to if my experience was limited to politics.
Absolutely. By building relationships with other legislators, we can combine our knowledge and experience to create better policy. We also have a better chance of getting things passed.
She wasn't a New Hampshire legislator, but Shirley Chisholm has been an inspiration to me since I was in college. I have one of her campaign posters on the wall of my office.
The New Hampshire Young Democrats, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, SEIU 1984, the New Hampshire Youth Movement, the New Hampshire Sierra Club, Teamsters Local 663, the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, 603 Equality, the Center for Freethought Equality, 350 New Hampshire Action, the NH-NEA (candidate recommendation), Moms Demand Action (candidate distinction, and outgoing Hillsborough 41 Representative Mary Heath.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Lily M. Foss campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 41Won general$2,193 $0
Grand total$2,193 $0
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in New Hampshire

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of New Hampshire scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.













See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 29, 2024


Representatives
Belknap 1
Belknap 2
Belknap 3
Belknap 4
Belknap 7
Belknap 8
Carroll 1
Tom Buco (D)
Carroll 2
Carroll 3
Carroll 4
Carroll 5
Carroll 6
Carroll 7
Carroll 8
Cheshire 1
Cheshire 10
Cheshire 11
Cheshire 12
Cheshire 13
Cheshire 14
John Hunt (R)
Cheshire 15
Cheshire 16
Cheshire 17
Cheshire 18
Cheshire 2
Dru Fox (D)
Cheshire 3
Cheshire 4
Cheshire 5
Cheshire 6
Cheshire 7
Cheshire 8
Cheshire 9
Coos 1
Coos 2
Coos 3
Coos 4
Seth King (R)
Coos 5
Coos 6
Coos 7
Grafton 10
Grafton 11
Grafton 13
Grafton 14
Grafton 15
Grafton 16
Grafton 17
Grafton 18
Grafton 2
Grafton 3
Grafton 4
Grafton 6
Grafton 7
Grafton 8
Grafton 9
Hillsborough 1
Hillsborough 10
Bill Ohm (R)
Hillsborough 11
Hillsborough 14
Hillsborough 15
Hillsborough 16
Hillsborough 17
Hillsborough 18
Hillsborough 19
Matt Drew (R)
Hillsborough 20
Hillsborough 21
Hillsborough 22
Hillsborough 23
Hillsborough 24
Hillsborough 25
Hillsborough 26
Hillsborough 27
Hillsborough 28
Keith Erf (R)
Hillsborough 29
Hillsborough 3
Hillsborough 30
Hillsborough 31
Hillsborough 32
Hillsborough 33
Hillsborough 34
Hillsborough 35
Hillsborough 36
Hillsborough 37
Hillsborough 38
Hillsborough 39
Hillsborough 4
Hillsborough 40
Hillsborough 41
Lily Foss (D)
Hillsborough 42
Lisa Post (R)
Hillsborough 43
Hillsborough 44
Hillsborough 45
Hillsborough 5
Hillsborough 6
Hillsborough 7
Hillsborough 8
Hillsborough 9
Merrimack 1
Merrimack 10
Merrimack 11
Merrimack 12
Merrimack 13
Merrimack 14
Merrimack 15
Merrimack 16
Merrimack 17
Merrimack 18
Merrimack 19
Merrimack 2
Merrimack 20
Merrimack 21
Merrimack 22
Merrimack 23
Merrimack 24
Merrimack 25
Merrimack 26
Alvin See (R)
Merrimack 27
Merrimack 28
Merrimack 29
Merrimack 3
Merrimack 30
Merrimack 4
Merrimack 5
Merrimack 6
Merrimack 7
Merrimack 8
Merrimack 9
Rockingham 1
Rockingham 10
Rockingham 11
Rockingham 12
Zoe Manos (D)
Rockingham 14
Pam Brown (R)
Rockingham 15
Rockingham 18
Rockingham 19
Rockingham 2
Rockingham 20
Rockingham 21
Rockingham 22
Rockingham 23
Rockingham 24
Rockingham 26
Rockingham 27
Rockingham 28
Rockingham 29
Rockingham 3
Mary Ford (R)
Rockingham 30
Rockingham 31
Terry Roy (R)
Rockingham 32
Rockingham 33
Rockingham 34
Rockingham 35
Rockingham 36
Rockingham 37
Rockingham 38
Rockingham 39
Rockingham 4
Rockingham 40
Rockingham 5
Rockingham 6
Rockingham 7
Rockingham 8
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Strafford 1
Strafford 11
Strafford 13
Strafford 14
Strafford 15
Strafford 16
Strafford 17
Strafford 18
Strafford 19
Strafford 20
Strafford 21
Luz Bay (D)
Strafford 3
Strafford 4
Strafford 5
Strafford 6
Strafford 7
Strafford 8
Strafford 9
Sullivan 1
Sullivan 2
Sullivan 3
Sullivan 4
Judy Aron (R)
Sullivan 5
Sullivan 6
Sullivan 7
Sullivan 8
Republican Party (219)
Democratic Party (177)
Independent (1)