Brandon Phinney (born April 27, 1988) is an American politician and former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Strafford County's 24th district.
Brandon Phinney | |
---|---|
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the 9th Strafford district | |
Assumed office December 7, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Clifford "Cliff" Newton |
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the 24th Strafford district | |
In office December 7, 2016 – December 5, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Laura Jones |
Succeeded by | Mona Perrault |
Personal details | |
Born | Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S. | April 27, 1988
Political party | Libertarian (2017–present) |
Other political affiliations | Republican (2016–2017) |
Residence(s) | Rochester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
Alma mater | Great Bay Community College Southern New Hampshire University |
Occupation | Soldier |
Committees | State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs |
Phinney earned his associate degree from Great Bay Community College and his bachelor's degree from Southern New Hampshire University.[1] In 2016, he was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives as a Republican, beating his Democratic opponent by just 116 votes. There, he became notable in atheist circles as the only openly atheist Republican legislator in the United States.[2] On June 27, 2017, he announced in a press conference that he had changed his party affiliation to Libertarian.[3]
Phinney was defeated for re-election in a three-way race, finishing in third place with 10% of the total vote. He was succeeded by Republican Mona Perreault. Following his defeat, he announced he would run for Rochester City Council in 2019.[4]
He was elected to the State House again in 2022.[5]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Brandon Phinney | 2,323 | 51.3 | |
Democratic | Karen Stokes | 2,207 | 48.7 | |
Total votes | 4,530 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mona Perreault | 1,720 | 47.2 | |
Democratic | Jeremiah Minihan | 1,548 | 42.5 | |
Libertarian | Brandon Phinney (incumbent) | 377 | 10.3 | |
Total votes | 3,645 | 100 |