CONCORD, NH — Republican candidate for State Senate District 24 Lou Gargiulo requested a recount of his race, which he lost to Democrat Rep. Debra Altschiller by 11.5%. Though he did not show up to the first day of the recount, New Hampshire Republicans were instructed by Gargiulo to challenge every single absentee ballot and send them to the Ballot Law Commission in the hopes that they’ll be thrown out.

In response, NHDP Chair Ray Buckley released the following statement:

“The people of Senate District 24 have already spoken — they want Debra Altschiller representing them in Concord. They made that clear on Election Day, and though Lou Gargiulo and the NH GOP tried to overturn this result by challenging all absentee ballots during the recount, including the UOCAVA votes that come from our overseas military service members, the will of the voters will win out. I hope that New Hampshire Republicans have finally learned that Granite Staters want nothing to do with far-right extremists and that their frivolous attempts to undermine our elections will fail every time.”