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Theresa Swanick
Theresa Swanick (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Hampshire State Senate to represent District 3. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Biography
Swanick submitted the following biographical statement to Ballotpedia:[1]
| “ |
Theresa is former Selectman of the Town of Effingham, NH. She is current Trustee of Trust Funds and Vice Chair of Planning Board for the Town of Effingham. Past service includes Effingham Agricultural Committee and Freedom Conservation Commission. Theresa has served for the past 15 years as a conservation consultant to land trusts, conservation commissions and private landowners helping to conserve agricultural and working forest lands. [2] |
” |
Swanick is a member of the Mount Washington Valley Citizens Energy Team. She is the past Co-chair of the Local Energy Solutions Work Group and a past trustee of the Tin Mountain Conservation Center.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for New Hampshire State Senate District 3
Incumbent Jeb Bradley defeated Theresa Swanick in the general election for New Hampshire State Senate District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeb Bradley (R) | 61.5 | 22,086 |
 | Theresa Swanick (D) | 38.5 | 13,826 | |
| Total votes: 35,912 | |||
 = 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 State Senate District 3
Theresa Swanick advanced from the Democratic primary for New Hampshire State Senate District 3 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Theresa Swanick | 99.2 | 5,784 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 48 | ||
| Total votes: 5,832 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 3
Incumbent Jeb Bradley advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire State Senate District 3 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeb Bradley | 99.4 | 6,963 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 40 | ||
| Total votes: 7,003 | |||
| = 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 Carroll 5 (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Carroll 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bill Nelson (R) | 20.3 | 2,407 |
| ✔ |  | Lino Avellani (R) | 20.2 | 2,404 |
| ✔ |  | Ed Comeau (R) | 20.1 | 2,388 |
| Theresa Swanick (D) | 13.8 | 1,642 | |
| Patricia Pustell (D) | 12.9 | 1,530 | ||
| Knute Ogren (D) | 12.7 | 1,506 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Total votes: 11,878 | |||
| = 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 Carroll 5 (3 seats)
Theresa Swanick, Patricia Pustell, and Knute Ogren advanced from the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Carroll 5 on September 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Theresa Swanick | 37.6 | 559 |
| ✔ | Patricia Pustell | 33.5 | 498 | |
| ✔ | Knute Ogren | 28.9 | 430 | |
| Total votes: 1,487 | |||
| = 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 Carroll 5 (3 seats)
Incumbent Bill Nelson, incumbent Ed Comeau, and incumbent Lino Avellani advanced from the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Carroll 5 on September 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Nelson | 33.6 | 692 |
| ✔ | | Ed Comeau | 33.3 | 684 |
| ✔ | | Lino Avellani | 33.1 | 681 |
| Total votes: 2,057 | |||
| = 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.
The following candidates ran in the New Hampshire House of Representatives District Carroll 5 general election.[3][4]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, District Carroll 5 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Lino Avellani Incumbent |
21.87% | 2,938 | |
| Republican | Ed Comeau Incumbent |
20.50% | 2,753 | |
| Republican | Bill Nelson Incumbent |
21.61% | 2,902 | |
| Democratic | Ruth Hall | 11.92% | 1,601 | |
| Democratic | Theresa Swanick | 12.82% | 1,722 | |
| Democratic | Paul Turner | 11.28% | 1,515 | |
| Total Votes | 13,431 | |||
| Source: New Hampshire Secretary of State | ||||
Ruth Hall, Theresa Swanick, and Paul Turner were unopposed in the New Hampshire House of Representatives District Carroll 5 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, District Carroll 5 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Ruth Hall | |
| Democratic | Theresa Swanick | |
| Democratic | Paul Turner | |
Incumbent Lino Avellani, incumbent Ed Comeau, and incumbent Bill Nelson were unopposed in the New Hampshire House of Representatives District Carroll 5 Republican primary.[5][6]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, District Carroll 5 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Lino Avellani Incumbent | |
| Republican | Ed Comeau Incumbent | |
| Republican | Bill Nelson Incumbent | |
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Theresa Swanick did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Theresa Swanick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swanick's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1) The opioid crisis has many levels: addicts, orphans, disrupted businesses, and burdened health care and law enforcement. Legalizing, regulating and taxing cannabis could solve multiple problems. Regulating cannabis like alcohol would control sales for public safety. Cannabis for some can be a gateway off of opiates. It's a safer alternative to other illegal drugs. The costs of policing, prosecuting and imprisoning drug offenders could be saved. Taxing cannabis would generate revenue for treatment and support services. The revenue could also help fund public schools, which would help lower property taxes. If we don't act, this revenue is headed to our surrounding states that have already legalized cannabis. 2) Businesses drive our economy, families run businesses; I support the needs of businesses and families: good schools, affordable childcare and health care, sustainable energy, improved infrastructure and paid family leave to care for loved ones. 3) And every small business I talk to is hurting for skilled workers. We need fair wages and lower cost community and trade schools to prevent youth flight, and school-to-work and job training programs to help workers meet the needs of local businesses.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Youth flight from NH - young people can find higher paying jobs and lower cost education out of state. And every business I talk to is hurting for workers. We need to address this urgent economic strain on our local economy. Voting Accessibility - with a goal of full voter participation. It needs to be regulated but easy to register - such as with motor vehicle licenses: a "motor voter" law would make registration automatic and keep addresses updated per DMV law. Then I'd make vote by mail an option just as Absentee Voting is a current option now. The same protections with more accessibility.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Civility, Respectful dialogue and disagreement, Bipartisanship.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I'm a NH native, raised in Carroll County, trained as a lawyer. My work protects farms, local agriculture and working forests. I serve as Trustee of Trust Funds, Planning Board Chair and formerly as selectman for the Town of Effingham. Senator Jeb Bradley recommended me to Leadership NH '13, a yearlong class on state government and statewide policy issues affecting the NH.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
TO be responsive to the voters and residents of the district, not to the party, be it local or national, and not to special interest group, be they local or national.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Moderate bipartisanship generally, and voter accessibility specifically, including automatic voter registration with DMV and vote by mail options.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was summer ice cream scoop at age 14, which I until I graduated high school.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My dogs - they give me daily joy indoor and outdoors on our long walks.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Bob Marley's "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
I think it can be very helpful. I serve as Trustee of Trust Funds, Planning Board Chair and formerly as selectman for the Town of Effingham. Senator Jeb Bradley recommended me to Leadership NH '13, a yearlong class on state government and statewide policy issues affecting the NH.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes, I am a strong believer in bipartisanship, especially if one party has "control" of a branch of government. The extremes of both parties do a disservice, paddling a canoe on one side very inefficiently for the long game of helping everyone cross the water. The vast silent majority wants legislators to work together for common ground.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Independent Commission for nonpartisan results that gain the confidence of voters.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Senator Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro.
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?
The young people we speak to who are leaving the state to better afford school while working at higher paying jobs.
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.
2016
Swanick made the following statement to Ballotpedia regarding her political philosophy:[1]
| “ |
Theresa is an Independent Democrat (former registered Republican) who listens with respect to all sides of an issue and can bring a fresh pragmatic voice to bipartisan solutions to Carroll County and the State of New Hampshire. [2] |
” |
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on August 14, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "State Primary - September 13, 2016," accessed June 22, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2016 Primary election results," accessed November 21, 2016
