Richard Girard
Richard Girard was an at-large member of the Manchester Board of School Committee in New Hampshire. Girard assumed office in 2015. Girard left office in 2020.
Girard (Republican Party) ran for election to the New Hampshire State Senate to represent District 20. Girard lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Girard previously served a term as an alderman at-large on the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen from 1998 to 2000. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Manchester in 2001.[1] He is affiliated with the Republican Party, but the Manchester Board of School Committee and the election were officially nonpartisan.[2]
Biography
During his tenure on the Manchester School Committee, Richard Girard resided in Manchester, New Hampshire. Girard graduated from West High School in 1987 and earned his A.B. in political science from Boston College in 1991.[3]
Girard's career experience includes serving as the campaign manager for Raymond Wieczorek's successful mayoral bid in Manchester and working as Mayor Wieczorek's assistant from 1992 to 1997. He spent the following four years as the owner of his own consulting firm, Girard Marketing. In 2001, he began working with Primerica Financial Services. In 2002, he became a registered representative to handle investments. From 2011 to 2017, Girard hosted the Girard at Large in the Morning radio show. He began hosting the Girard at Large TV Show on Manchester Public Television in 2007.[1][4]
Elections
2022
See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for New Hampshire State Senate District 20
Incumbent Lou D'Allesandro defeated Richard Girard in the general election for New Hampshire State Senate District 20 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lou D'Allesandro (D) | 57.8 | 9,859 |
 | Richard Girard (R) | 42.0 | 7,172 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 25 | ||
| Total votes: 17,056 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire State Senate District 20
Incumbent Lou D'Allesandro advanced from the Democratic primary for New Hampshire State Senate District 20 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lou D'Allesandro | 99.2 | 2,641 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 21 | ||
| Total votes: 2,662 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Hampshire State Senate District 20
Richard Girard advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire State Senate District 20 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Girard | 97.4 | 2,648 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.6 | 70 | ||
| Total votes: 2,718 | |||
| = 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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2019
Richard Girard did not file to run for re-election.
2017
All 14 seats on the Manchester School District Board of School Committee in New Hampshire were up for general election on November 7, 2017. Twelve seats were elected by district and the remaining two were elected at large. All 14 incumbents filed to run for re-election. Primary elections for Wards 6 and 12 were held on September 19, 2017.[5]
Incumbents Richard Girard and Nancy Tessier were the only candidates to file to run for the district's two at-large seats and won re-election. In Ward 1, incumbent Sarah S. Ambrogi defeated former candidate Joseph Lachance. Incumbent Debra G. Langton lost to challenger David Scannell for the Ward 2 seat. Incumbent Mary Ngwanda Georges defeated Phillip Harris to retain her Ward 3 seat. Ward 4 incumbent Leslie Want defeated former candidate Mark Flanders. In Ward 5, former board member Kathy Staub was unsuccessful in her challenge against incumbent Lisa M. Freeman to reclaim a seat on the board.[5] Ward 6 incumbent Dan Bergeron defeated challenger Jon DiPietro. They defeated Ernesto Pinder in the primary election.[6][7]
Incumbent Ross Terrio won against challenger Ethan Moorhouse to retain his seat in Ward 7. In Ward 8, former candidate Jimmy Lehoux defeated incumbent Erika Connors. Incumbent Arthur J. Beaudry was the only one to file for the Ward 9 seat and won unnopposed in the election. Ward 10 incumbent John B. Avard defeated newcomer Thomas McGee. In Ward 11, incumbent Katie Desrochers won with 74 percent of the vote against Alexander Avery.[5] Incumbent Constance Van Houten was defeated by newcomer Kelley Anne Thomas. They advanced to the Ward 12 general election after defeating Carlos Gonzalez for the seat.[6][7]
Results
| Manchester School District, At-Large General Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Nancy Tessier Incumbent |
53.18% | 12,815 |
| Richard Girard Incumbent |
45.71% | 11,015 |
| Write-in votes | 1.12% | 269 |
| Total Votes | 24,099 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
2015
Opposition
The election in Manchester featured 14 of the 15 seats on the board up for general election on November 3, 2015. The last seat, held by Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas at the time of the election, was elected separately on the ballot. A primary election was held on September 15, 2015, to narrow down the number of candidates to two per seat in each race for the general election. Wards 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 12 held primary elections.
In the at-large race, incumbents Kathy Staub and Nancy Tessier ran against challengers Richard Girard and Joseph Lachance for two seats. Tessier and Girard won the two seats.
Nine board members faced competition in their re-election bids, while another three ran unopposed and won re-election to their seats. The elections in Wards 4 and 5 did not feature any incumbents. Neither Ward 4 member Amy L. Bradley nor Ward 5 member Ted Rokas filed for re-election.
Several rematches from the 2013 election took place, including Ward 2 member Debra G. Langton and challenger Sarah L. Browning, Ward 6 member Dan Bergeron and challenger Bill Hughen, and Ward 12 member Constance Van Houten and challenger Christine Duffley. The Ward 12 race also featured former board member Roger Beauchamp.
Results
| Manchester School District, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Nancy Tessier Incumbent |
33.6% | 9,583 |
| Richard Girard |
25.8% | 7,362 |
| Kathy Staub Incumbent | 23.5% | 6,714 |
| Joseph Lachance | 16.8% | 4,794 |
| Write-in votes | 0.22% | 63 |
| Total Votes | 28,516 | |
| Source: Manchester City Clerk, "Official Election Results," accessed November 4, 2015 | ||
Funding
Girard reported no contributions or expenditures to the Manchester City Clerk during the election.[8]
Endorsements
Girard did not receive any official endorsements during the election.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Richard Girard did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Candidate website
Girard published the following positions on his campaign website:
| “ | Smarter Balanced Assessment? Opposed!
Common Core National Standards? Opposed! State or district directed “diagnostic assessments?” Opposed! 21st Century Skills? What exactly are they, if not a bogus red herring talking point to push an agenda? Opposed! Recently adopted union contract with Manchester Education Association? Opposed!
Policies that allow, and arguably require, kids with head lice to remain in school with live bugs in their head? Must overturn! Parents’ right to refuse non-academic testing, like Smarter Balanced? Support! (BTW, led the effort to fight for and inform parents of their right to refuse, which more than 1/3 of Manchester’s parents did!) Parents’ right to refuse“behavioral surveys?” District’s obligation to notify parents of invasive, non-academic surveys? Support! Notify parents of lessons with sexual content and enable them to opt their children out? Support! Parents’ right to refuse non academic programs, like controversial “anti-bullying” lessons? Support! (Honestly, I don’t know why lessons like this exist in the first place!) Restore lost course offerings and address class sizes? Support! Redistricting? I support appendices A-D in this report from former Superintendent Tom Brennan re-presented nearly 3 years ago! (Note well when it was originally introduced!) Find ways to get things done within the city’s Tax Cap? Support![9] |
” |
| —Richard Girard campaign website (2015)[10] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate New Hampshire State Senate District 20 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 LinkedIn, "Richard Girard," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "About," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Girard At Large, "The Host: Rich Girard," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with Richard Girard," August 12, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Office of the City Clerk - Manchester, NH, "Filings for Non-partisan Municipal Election," accessed July 21, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Manchester Ink Link, "Manchester Primary Election results," accessed September 19, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 WMUR 9, "2017 city election results for Manchester, New Hampshire," November 7, 2017
- ↑ Manchester City Clerk, "Campaign Finance Reports Filed by Candidate," accessed November 1, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Girard At Large, "Girard for Manchester School Board at-Large," accessed October 12, 2015
