Sean Lewis
Sean Lewis (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives to represent Rockingham 8. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Biography
Sean Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree from the Berklee College of Music. His professional experience includes working as an arts administrator. His organizational affiliations include the Budget Committee for the Town of Salem, New Hampshire Young Democrats, and the New England Conservatory.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 (9 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe Sweeney (R) | 7.3 | 8,795 |
| ✔ |  | John Sytek (R) | 6.9 | 8,349 |
| ✔ |  | Fred Doucette (R) | 6.7 | 8,101 |
| ✔ |  | Daryl Abbas (R) | 6.7 | 8,086 |
| ✔ | Everett McBride Jr. (R) | 6.6 | 8,021 | |
| ✔ |  | Susan Vandecasteele (R) | 6.6 | 8,016 |
| ✔ | Betty Gay (R) | 6.6 | 7,977 | |
| ✔ |  | John Janigian (R) | 6.5 | 7,870 |
| ✔ | Robert Elliott (R) | 6.4 | 7,703 | |
 | Bonnie Wright (D) | 5.2 | 6,301 | |
| Maureen Thibault (D) | 4.5 | 5,447 | ||
| Sara Dillingham (D) | 4.5 | 5,418 | ||
| Claire Karibian (D) | 4.5 | 5,391 | ||
| Jacqueline Muollo (D) | 4.3 | 5,194 | ||
| Donna Loranger (D) | 4.2 | 5,118 | ||
 | Gregory Davis (D) | 4.2 | 5,040 | |
 | Cam Iannalfo (D)  | 4.2 | 5,031 | |
 | Sean Lewis (D) | 4.0 | 4,859 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 32 | ||
| Total votes: 120,749 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 (9 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bonnie Wright | 12.4 | 1,598 |
| ✔ | Claire Karibian | 11.3 | 1,455 | |
| ✔ | Maureen Thibault | 11.3 | 1,452 | |
| ✔ | Sara Dillingham | 11.1 | 1,434 | |
| ✔ | Jacqueline Muollo | 11.0 | 1,422 | |
| ✔ | Donna Loranger | 11.0 | 1,420 | |
| ✔ | | Cam Iannalfo | 10.7 | 1,386 |
| ✔ | | Sean Lewis | 10.5 | 1,355 |
| ✔ | | Gregory Davis | 10.5 | 1,350 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 26 | ||
| Total votes: 12,898 | |||
| = 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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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 (9 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Fred Doucette | 9.8 | 1,986 |
| ✔ | | John Sytek | 9.7 | 1,977 |
| ✔ | | Daryl Abbas | 9.4 | 1,909 |
| ✔ | | Joe Sweeney | 8.9 | 1,809 |
| ✔ | | John Janigian | 8.8 | 1,780 |
| ✔ | Everett McBride Jr. | 8.0 | 1,619 | |
| ✔ | Betty Gay | 7.8 | 1,579 | |
| ✔ | Robert Elliott | 7.1 | 1,447 | |
| ✔ | | Susan Vandecasteele | 6.6 | 1,347 |
 | Tanya Donnelly | 6.6 | 1,336 | |
| John Manning Jr. | 5.8 | 1,169 | ||
| Dave Blake | 5.7 | 1,158 | ||
| Joe Lessard | 5.5 | 1,120 | ||
| Ross Cooper (Write-in) | 0.2 | 38 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 46 | ||
| Total votes: 20,320 | |||
| = 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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2018
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 (9 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Sytek (R) | 6.8 | 5,780 |
| ✔ | Everett McBride Jr. (R) | 6.7 | 5,709 | |
| ✔ | | Daryl Abbas (R) | 6.7 | 5,707 |
| ✔ | Arthur Barnes III (R) | 6.6 | 5,649 | |
| ✔ | Betty Gay (R) | 6.6 | 5,618 | |
| ✔ | | Fred Doucette (R) | 6.6 | 5,618 |
| ✔ | Robert Elliott (R) | 6.5 | 5,519 | |
| ✔ | | John Janigian (R) | 6.4 | 5,429 |
| ✔ | Ed DeClercq (R) | 6.2 | 5,254 | |
| Kelly Moss (D) | 5.6 | 4,767 | ||
| Bonnie Wright (D) | 5.0 | 4,294 | |
| Janet Breslin (D) | 4.9 | 4,168 | ||
| Sean Lewis (D) | 4.4 | 3,717 | |
| Jacqueline Muollo (D) | 4.3 | 3,673 | ||
| Cam Iannalfo (D) | 4.3 | 3,665 | |
| Gregory Davis (D) | 4.3 | 3,633 | |
| George Perry (D) | 4.1 | 3,468 | ||
| David Hickernell (D) | 4.0 | 3,363 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 6 | ||
| Total votes: 85,037 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 (9 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 on September 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kelly Moss | 12.7 | 1,012 | |
| ✔ | | Bonnie Wright | 12.7 | 1,008 |
| ✔ | Janet Breslin | 11.9 | 946 | |
| ✔ | Jacqueline Muollo | 10.8 | 862 | |
| ✔ | | Cam Iannalfo | 9.6 | 760 |
| ✔ | | Gregory Davis | 9.4 | 744 |
| ✔ | | Sean Lewis | 9.2 | 729 |
| ✔ | David Hickernell | 8.4 | 668 | |
| ✔ | George Perry | 8.3 | 661 | |
| Scott Abercrombie | 7.1 | 564 | ||
| Total votes: 7,954 | |||
| = 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 Rockingham 8 (9 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8 on September 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Sytek | 9.5 | 1,224 |
| ✔ | | Fred Doucette | 8.9 | 1,150 |
| ✔ | Arthur Barnes III | 8.6 | 1,104 | |
| ✔ | Everett McBride Jr. | 8.5 | 1,089 | |
| ✔ | Robert Elliott | 8.2 | 1,059 | |
| ✔ | Betty Gay | 8.1 | 1,046 | |
| ✔ | | Daryl Abbas | 8.0 | 1,032 |
| ✔ | | John Janigian | 8.0 | 1,025 |
| ✔ | Ed DeClercq | 6.8 | 870 | |
| Patrick Bick | 5.4 | 692 | ||
| David Bruce | 5.3 | 688 | ||
| Luke Mroz | 5.3 | 677 | ||
| John Manning Jr. | 5.2 | 672 | ||
| Patrick McDougall | 4.3 | 554 | ||
| Total votes: 12,882 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the New Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 10, 2016. Incumbent Anne Priestley (R) and incumbent Joe Sweeney (R) did not seek re-election.
The following candidates ran in the New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 8 general election.[2][3]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, District Rockingham 8 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Gary Azarian Incumbent |
8.11% | 7,373 | |
| Republican | Arthur E. Barnes III Incumbent |
7.25% | 6,594 | |
| Republican | Ronald Belanger Incumbent |
8.28% | 7,528 | |
| Republican | Fred Doucette Incumbent |
7.74% | 7,041 | |
| Republican | Robert Elliott Incumbent |
7.82% | 7,110 | |
| Republican | Betty Gay |
7.74% | 7,034 | |
| Republican | John Janigian |
6.97% | 6,338 | |
| Republican | John Manning, Jr. Incumbent |
7.30% | 6,640 | |
| Republican | John Sytek Incumbent |
7.98% | 7,260 | |
| Democratic | Scott Abercrombie | 4.40% | 4,000 | |
| Democratic | Carla Billingham | 5.12% | 4,659 | |
| Democratic | Eleanor Carpenito | 5.70% | 5,179 | |
| Democratic | Camron Iannalfo | 4.99% | 4,534 | |
| Democratic | Sean Lewis | 5.06% | 4,598 | |
| Democratic | Bonnie Wright | 5.54% | 5,040 | |
| Total Votes | 90,928 | |||
| Source: New Hampshire Secretary of State | ||||
The following candidates ran in the New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 8 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, District Rockingham 8 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Scott Abercrombie | |
| Democratic | Carla Billingham | |
| Democratic | Eleanor Carpenito | |
| Democratic | Camron Iannalfo | |
| Democratic | Sean Lewis | |
| Democratic | Bonnie Wright | |
The following candidates ran in the New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 8 Republican primary.[4][5]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, District Rockingham 8 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Gary Azarian Incumbent |
8.20% | 1,004 | |
| Republican | Arthur E. Barnes III Incumbent |
7.45% | 913 | |
| Republican | Ronald Belanger Incumbent |
7.99% | 978 | |
| Republican | Fred Doucette Incumbent |
7.39% | 905 | |
| Republican | Robert Elliott Incumbent |
8.16% | 999 | |
| Republican | Betty Gay |
7.84% | 960 | |
| Republican | John Janigian |
5.61% | 687 | |
| Republican | John Manning, Jr. Incumbent |
7.34% | 899 | |
| Republican | John Sytek Incumbent |
9.50% | 1,164 | |
| Republican | Patrick Bick | 4.82% | 590 | |
| Republican | David L. Bruce | 5.57% | 682 | |
| Republican | George Kassas | 4.65% | 569 | |
| Republican | Timothy McCarthy | 5.28% | 647 | |
| Republican | Patrick McDougall | 4.78% | 586 | |
| Republican | Martha Spalding | 5.42% | 664 | |
| Total Votes | 12,247 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sean Lewis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sean Lewis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lewis' responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1) Fighting the opioid crisis by expanding efforts to create Safe Station programs in western Rockingham County while supporting law enforcement's efforts to combat drug trafficking. 2) Reversing recent business tax cuts which may have an immediate impact on some small businesses but will ultimately drain the state of revenue necessary to fund infrastructure spending, prevent them from contributing to our state employee pension fund, and ultimately create a Kansas-like trickle down economics experiment that has already failed in other states. 3) Government reform in the form of a) a non-partisan redistricting committee written into law, b) strengthening Right To Know laws and ensuring that they are expanded to PACs and Super PACs that operate in this state, and c) advocating for publicly funded elections so that candidates can run on their ideas instead of their bank accounts while eliminating corporate money in politics.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am interested in the following areas: - Energy - Fiscal Policy - Voting Rights - Economic Development (specifically how government can positively impact areas of low economic growth)
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
A good legislator must be conscientious, open-minded, fair minded, and capable of learning a great deal about a particular topic in a short period of time. While it takes many years of service to become an expert on a topic and to understand exactly how it affects your constituents, time waits for no one and we must hit the ground running on Day 1 of the new session.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The core responsibilities of a NH State Rep is to accurately serve the people of their district but crafting and voting on legislation designed to support the long-term growth of the state. A Rep must also balance the short term needs of their district against such plans and must sometimes set aside personal political feelings and vote as the majority of your district would want.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Josiah Bartlett
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
The most important difference between the House and the Senate is that the Senate tends to get mired in party politics more often than the House, which is often more dynamic and passionate (and not to mention harder to predict in terms of how they'll vote). In the House, a passionate floor speech can move legislators to vote on the issue rather than be mired in what their Party leadership might want. In the Senate, with only 24 legislators, it seems much more difficult for lawmakers to go out on a limb and support an issue at odds with their party's ideology.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
I think it COULD be beneficial with regards to committee rules and government structure but like any complex system, it's nuances and rules can be learned.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Our tax structure and the political climate around it is the single biggest challenge we're facing right now. Anything we wish to do in NH - fight opioid abuse, bring passenger rail from Boston to Manchester, reduce property taxes, lower higher education costs for the State university system - always comes back to a simple question: HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT? Our other major challenge is energy - both the cost of energy and ensuring a steady supply of it. With the retiring of coal and oil power plants, we've become overdependent on natural gas. Despite the steady supply of this resource it is 1) not a "clean" energy despite being an upgrade, 2) our major source of heating energy to the tune of 60% of New England's grid operation fuel mix, and 3) traps up in a position where we are susceptible to major price fluctuations due to both commodity volatility and availability on the open market.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
An occasionally tense but ultimately productive relationship where we recognize one party (the Governor) and their agenda as the general will of a plurality of the state while members of the House place a check on this agenda by speaking for the specific concerns of their constituents. In the end I feel it's important that both parties recognize that they work for the voters and not themselves.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Absolutely - the only way good legislation can be crafted (or passed) is through building relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle. The only thing we can do on our own is be responsible for the START of a good idea.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
An independent redistricting commission made up of representatives from across the political spectrum working to create voter districts that are equitable in terms of population density and are geographically contained. We should avoid any solution that puts the process in the hands of political partisans as well as solutions that create districts like Executive Council District 2 which stretches from Keene, up north through Concord, and finally terminates on the Seacoast.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
1) Energy 2) Voting Rights 3) Economic Development
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Dudley Dudley.
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?
I recently heard from a voter who supported Barack Obama twice and then Donald Trump. Her biggest concern was the cost of healthcare as that was the number one financial drain on her bank account. When the affordable care act was passed she was hopeful that she, who did not have much income, would be sufficiently covered by a low cost insurance plan. However, after several years the marketplace circumstances changed, her coverage costs increased, and ultimately she was forced to pay a high premium for a plan she didn't often use as a result of the individual mandate. Come 2016 - she voted for Trump mostly because she saw him as an agent of change and specifically he repealed the individual mandate which automatically put money back into her pocket because she dropped her health insurance (at this point she noted that she was very healthy and didn't bother going to the doctor most of the time, so why pay for it?). She eventually injured her and and required stitches. She went to an urgent care facility, agreed to pay all costs herself, and wound up with a $6,500 bill she can't afford. Angered, she threw the bill out and is now at risk of having her credit ruined as the medical facility (an "urgent care" facility - NOT a hospital) seeks to recoup their invoiced costs. In the end, this voter was angry, felt like they had been a victim of fraud, and was not sure who to blame. I don't have a solution that I can pass in the NH Legislature but this interaction was a stark reminder that while we spend time poring over data in committee meetings, that our action (or inaction) has real world consequences for people. We tend to govern in terms of averages and discuss human problems in the abstract. This voter reminded me that our decisions don't affect data points - they affect people. We need to do better in representing our constituents and remembering that people don't live their lives based on averages or data points - so when we govern we need to ask ourselves how this will affect our people's lives.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I hope to make government more transparent, to protect individual homeowners from being overtaxes, and to protect (and expand) public funding for education.[6] |
” |
| —Sean Lewis[1] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- New Hampshire House of Representatives
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on September 5, 2018
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "General Election - November 8, 2016," accessed October 25, 2016
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "General Election Results - 2016," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "State Primary - September 13, 2016," accessed June 22, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2016 Primary election results," accessed November 21, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
