by Amanda Gokee, New Hampshire Bulletin
A special election for a Rochester House race that ended in a tie has been scheduled for Feb. 21 by the Rochester City Council.
The special election comes as the House is deeply divided, with Republicans holding 201 seats and the Democrats 198. The special election will determine whether the only remaining undecided seat goes to the Democrats or the Republicans.
“This seat will be vital for our House Republican Majority,” said a fundraising email from the Republican State Committee Wednesday announcing the date of the election.
Republican David Walker and incumbent Democrat Chuck Grassie both received 970 votes, a November recount found. Election night results found that Walker had won by one vote, prompting the request for a recount.
The House voted in favor of holding a special election when it met for Organization Day in early December but only after a Republican attempt to block that effort from moving forward. Some Republicans appeared to favor seating a member by a vote of the House, but that motion was never brought forward.
This story was written by Amanda Gokee, a reporter at the New Hampshire Bulletin, where this story first appeared.
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