Matt Wilhelm
2024 - Present
2026
0
Matt Wilhelm (Democratic Party) is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Hillsborough 21. He assumed office on December 4, 2024. His current term ends on December 2, 2026.
Wilhelm (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives to represent Hillsborough 21. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Matt Wilhelm earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies and political science from Plymouth State University in 2004 and a master's degree in public administration from the University of New Hampshire in 2016. Wilhelm's career experience includes working as a managing member of Make It Better, LLC, the director of Old Sol Alliance, Inc., and a lighting director/tour manager with DISPATCH. He has served on the board of Volunteer NH, the NH alumni board of City Year, and the NH chapter board of AmeriCorps Alums.[1][2]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Wilhelm was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Wilhelm was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Wilhelm was assigned to the following committees:
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21 (2 seats)
Incumbent Christine Seibert and incumbent Matt Wilhelm defeated Andrew Fromuth in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Christine Seibert (D) | 37.9 | 3,113 |
| ✔ |  | Matt Wilhelm (D) | 32.3 | 2,648 |
 | Andrew Fromuth (R) | 29.7 | 2,439 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 8,210 | |||
 = 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 21 (2 seats)
Incumbent Christine Seibert and incumbent Matt Wilhelm advanced from the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21 on September 10, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christine Seibert | 54.0 | 1,100 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm | 45.6 | 928 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 9 | ||
| Total votes: 2,037 | |||
| = 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 21 (2 seats)
Andrew Fromuth advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21 on September 10, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andrew Fromuth | 97.1 | 796 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.9 | 24 | ||
| Total votes: 820 | |||
| = 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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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wilhelm in this election.
2022
See also: New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 40 (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 40 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark MacKenzie (D) | 15.3 | 7,984 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm (D) | 14.2 | 7,410 |
| ✔ |  | Trinidad Tellez (D) | 13.9 | 7,286 |
| ✔ |  | Damond Ford (D) | 13.6 | 7,107 |
 | Carlos Gonzalez (R) | 11.7 | 6,136 | |
| Jon Fraser (R) | 11.1 | 5,806 | ||
| Jamie Brassill (R) | 10.5 | 5,475 | ||
| Merav Yaakov (R) | 9.7 | 5,073 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 33 | ||
| Total votes: 52,310 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 40 (4 seats)
Mark MacKenzie, incumbent Matt Wilhelm, Trinidad Tellez, and Damond Ford defeated Matthew Ping in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 40 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark MacKenzie | 24.6 | 2,009 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm | 22.4 | 1,825 |
| ✔ | | Trinidad Tellez | 22.2 | 1,810 |
| ✔ | | Damond Ford | 21.8 | 1,777 |
| Matthew Ping | 8.7 | 713 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 18 | ||
| Total votes: 8,152 | |||
| = 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 40 (4 seats)
Carlos Gonzalez, Jon Fraser, Jamie Brassill, and Merav Yaakov defeated Sylvain Yaakov in the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 40 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carlos Gonzalez | 27.9 | 1,664 |
| ✔ | Jon Fraser | 23.2 | 1,379 | |
| ✔ | Jamie Brassill | 22.6 | 1,347 | |
| ✔ | Merav Yaakov | 13.3 | 795 | |
| Sylvain Yaakov | 12.0 | 713 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 58 | ||
| Total votes: 5,956 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
See also: New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 (2 seats)
Incumbent Jacqueline Chretien and incumbent Matt Wilhelm defeated Phillip Harris and Julie Senneville in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jacqueline Chretien (D) | 30.9 | 7,465 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm (D) | 27.5 | 6,647 |
 | Phillip Harris (R) | 21.3 | 5,134 | |
| Julie Senneville (R) | 20.2 | 4,871 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 21 | ||
| Total votes: 24,138 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 (2 seats)
Incumbent Jacqueline Chretien and incumbent Matt Wilhelm advanced from the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jacqueline Chretien | 56.3 | 2,377 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm | 43.3 | 1,827 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 16 | ||
| Total votes: 4,220 | |||
| = 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 42 (2 seats)
Phillip Harris and Julie Senneville advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Phillip Harris | 52.8 | 1,364 |
| ✔ | Julie Senneville | 46.1 | 1,192 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 2,584 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 (2 seats)
Jacqueline Chretien and Matt Wilhelm defeated Joseph Lachance and Phillip Harris in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jacqueline Chretien (D) | 32.1 | 5,884 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm (D) | 28.3 | 5,200 |
 | Joseph Lachance (R) | 20.6 | 3,774 | |
| Phillip Harris (R) | 18.9 | 3,472 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 14 | ||
| Total votes: 18,344 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 (2 seats)
Jacqueline Chretien and Matt Wilhelm defeated incumbent Jesse Martineau in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 on September 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jacqueline Chretien | 47.7 | 2,171 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wilhelm | 31.6 | 1,437 |
| Jesse Martineau | 20.7 | 941 | ||
| Total votes: 4,549 | |||
| = 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 42 (2 seats)
Joseph Lachance and Phillip Harris advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 42 on September 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joseph Lachance | 54.7 | 1,208 |
| ✔ | | Phillip Harris | 45.3 | 1,001 |
| Total votes: 2,209 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matt Wilhelm did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Matt Wilhelm did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Matt Wilhelm did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matt Wilhelm completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wilhelm's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Creating Pathways for Debt-Free College through National Service 2. Providing Paid Family & Medical Leave 3. Extending Passenger Rail Service
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
As a two-term City Year AmeriCorps alumnus and graduate of Plymouth State University (bachelor's) and the University of New Hampshire (master's), I'm especially passionate about creating new pathways for debt-free, in-state higher education in exchange for serving in the military, national, and public service.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I look up to the Rev. Jonathon Hopkins, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Concord. Jon and I first met in 1998 when he trained me to be a camp counselor at Calumet, a church camp on Lake Ossipee. All summer, he carried around a backpack with a City Year patch on it, which sparked my curiosity, led me to Manchester, and ignited my passion for public service. Jon was one of my first mentors, is one of my best friends, and is also my pastor. He presided over Jody and my wedding and baptized our kids. Jon is also a passionate social justice warrior, fighting tirelessly for a more equitable system every day of the week.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
In college, I interned in the office of Governor John Lynch in the Office of Citizen Services. On my drive to Concord, I would listen to then-State Senator's 2004 DNC speech: "(A)longside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we are all connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their prescription and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandparent. If there's an Arab-American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It is that fundamental belief -- it is that fundamental belief -- I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper -- that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family: 'E pluribus unum,' out of many, one. Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits, the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue States: red states for Republicans, blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Service. Equity. Integrity. Innovation. Empathy. Opportunity.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I moved to Manchester in 2005 to lead a team of City Year AmeriCorps members serving in high-need public schools. I stayed and earned my master's in public administration from UNH's Carsey School of Public Policy and have built a career expanding opportunities for young people to serve their communities, nation and world. I hope to continue my path of service as a member of our state's citizen legislature.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Show up. Be accessible. Listen. Be responsive. Put public service before politics as usual.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I'd like to be remembered as someone who fought for equity in public service. Dr. King once said that "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." Here in New Hampshire, especially when it comes to serving in our state's citizen legislature, that isn't actually case.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I registered to vote on the day of the 2000 Presidential Election. The days and weeks that followed ignited my passion for democracy.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was as a counselor at Camp Calumet, a church camp on Lake Ossipee. I worked at Calumet for seven summers and on the weekends during college as a retreat specialist.
What happened on your most awkward date?
For our first "official" date, I invited my non-churchgoing, now-wife to Easter Sunday worship with my family.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Thanksgiving! In 2018, it coincides with my wife Jody and my 10th wedding anniversary. Fun fact: we had pie instead of cake at our wedding!
What is your favorite book? Why?
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life"
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
I have a bench from the original Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, build by the hardworking men of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It represents the beginning of the modern day national service movement in America.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
"At the End of the Day" from the Les Miserables soundtrack
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Balance.
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
Functionally, our 400-seat House and 24-seat Senate operate very differently.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
I think it's helpful to have a mix in our state's citizen legislature.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
We face significant challenges on either end of the adult life spectrum: attracting and retaining young people and supporting seniors as they strive to retire with dignity.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
I expect the governor to have enough respect for the legislature to show up if and when a special session is called.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
I support HB 1666, which would eliminate partisan gerrymandering by requiring additional redistricting if election results exceed a specified efficiency gap.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
State-Federal Relations & Veterans Affairs
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
If elected, I would be focused -- first and foremost -- on serving my constituents.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
As a legislator, professional, and a dad, I will look to State Senator Dan Feltes as an example for keeping life balanced.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
I'm focused on running exclusively for state representative in 2018.
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
Hillsborough 42 covers Manchester Wards 1, 2 and 3, which covers a pretty diverse cross-section of our community.
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
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Scorecards
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2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the New Hampshire State Legislature was in session from January 3 to June 13.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the New Hampshire State Legislature was in session from January 4 to June 29.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the New Hampshire State Legislature was in session from January 5 to May 26.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the New Hampshire State Legislature was in session from January 6 to June 24.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the New Hampshire State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 30. The session was suspended from March 14 to June 11.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the New Hampshire General Court was in session from January 2 through June 30.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Officeholder New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21 |
Personal |
Footnotes
