Portsmouth-Newington NH House rep. resigns, cites move to Durham

Democratic state Rep. Robin Vogt resigned from the New Hampshire House Friday, in the latest membership change to the near evenly divided chamber. 

Vogt, of Portsmouth, announced he was leaving because he is moving out of his district to Durham. 

“I am excited to become a part of the Durham, NH community; a new chapter,” Vogt posted Friday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Vogt’s departure brings the current total number of absences in the 400-member House to four, according to the House Clerk. Republicans currently have 198 members, Democrats have 195 members, and there are three independent members. 

Of the three independent members, two are former Democrats – Reps. Maria Perez of Milford and Shaun Filiault of Keene – and one is a former Republican: Rep. Dan Hynes of Bedford.

Vogt, who represented Ward 1 in Portsmouth and Newington, thanked his neighbors for their support. 

“I look forward to our continued communication and activism here in the Granite State, and as always, will continue to be here to advocate for our incredible Seacoast region and this state that we call home,” he wrote.

A longtime advocate and the former director of communications for the New Hampshire Progressive Coalition, Vogt won his seat after beating Democratic Rep. Jacqueline Cali-Pitts, then the longest-serving Democrat in the House, in the 2020 state primary. 

He drew frustration from some members of the party in May when he declined to return early from a vacation in order to attend a vote on Senate Bill 272, the parental bill of rights. House Democrats were attempting to vote down the bill and were urging every member to attend the session; they managed to vote down the bill without Vogt. 

But some praised his activism Friday. “A big loss for the House and for the people you represent,” wrote fellow Portsmouth Democratic Rep. David Meuse on X.

Vogt’s decision will spur a special election in Portsmouth in the coming months. There are also vacant seats in Coos County District 6, which includes Randolph and Gorham; Coos County District 1, which includes Lancaster; and Strafford County District 11, which includes parts of Dover and Lee. 

More: Dover seeks special election for NH House seat after death of Rep. Hoy Robert Menear III

Vogt’s resignation ahead of moving from his district comes two months after Republican Rep. Troy Merner, of Lancaster, resigned from the House after the Attorney General’s Office said he had been serving in the House despite no longer living in his district. 

Merner was arrested this week and charged with a Class B felony for wrongfully voting in a town in which he no longer resided. 

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin.