Ray Buckley, New Hampshire’s long-serving, openly gay chair of the state’s Democratic Party, won a historic eighth term yesterday. The state DNC swept Buckley back into the leadership role by a vote of 168 to the 90 won by his challenger, Somersworth business owner Emmet Soldati.
Reports New Hampshire Public Radio:
The race offered a contrast between a veteran party official and a local activist aiming to take the party in a new direction.
Buckley, who has been chair of the party since 2007, began his political career in the 1970s when he volunteered on the Jimmy Carter campaign. Soldati’s challenge for the party leadership post came following mixed election results last November, when Democrats won three congressional seats but were trounced in local races, losing control of the state Senate, House and Executive Council, as well as the governor’s race.
“What attracted me to the Democratic Party all those years ago was the shared belief that life is bigger than us as individuals,” Buckley told the party faithful during an online meeting on Sunday.
“As Democrats, we believe, to our very core, that our life is about giving, and making a difference for others. Politics is not about us, but what we do for others.”
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