New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district covers the western, northern, and some southern parts of New Hampshire. It includes the state's second-largest city, Nashua, as well as the state capital, Concord. It is currently represented in the United States House of Representatives by Democrat Maggie Goodlander.

The district is classified by the Census Bureau as a majority-rural district, with 51.67% of its population residing in rural areas. The district is home to Dartmouth College, the state's second-largest college, and three of its representatives since 1995 (Charles Bass, Paul Hodes, and Annie Kuster) have been Dartmouth alumni. Some of the largest employers in the district are DartmouthÃ¢ÂÂHitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth College, Southern New Hampshire Health System, and BAE Systems.

History

Until 1847, New Hampshire's representatives were elected at large, from the entire state, and not from districts. Districts began being used in the 1846 elections. Until the 1878 elections, New Hampshire elected its members of the United States House of Representatives in March of the odd-numbered years. That would be too late for the beginning of the March 4 term, but the first session of the House typically didn't start until December; so, a March election wasn't a problem.

Historically, the second district has had strong Republican leanings, having voted Republican 71 times and Democrat only 15. The district has leaned Democratic in congressional races since 2006, and in presidential races since 2000.