New Hampshire’s high profile 1st CD race between Republican U.S. Representative Frank Guinta and former Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter includes three other candidates after a state commission ruled last week that independent Shawn O’Connor is allowed on the ballot, joining Libertarian Robert Lombardo and independent Brendan Kelly. With five candidate choices, the 1st CD contest will tie the mark for the largest number of candidates across the 104 U.S. House elections that have been conducted in the state over the last 100 years. The only other instances in which the state saw five U.S. House candidates on the ballot during the last century were in 1992’s and 1994’s 1st CD races when four candidates challenged GOP Congressman Bill Zeliff: a Democrat, a Libertarian, an independent, and a Natural Law Party candidate. Four candidates have run in 11 Granite State U.S. House races during this 100-year span: in 1916 (both districts), 1932 (2nd CD), 1934 (2nd), 1936 (1st), 1984 (1st), 1992 (2nd), 1994 (2nd), 1996 (2nd), 2000 (2nd), and 2010 (2nd).

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