The New Hampshire House District Grafton 12 race is contested in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Four candidates are running, and each is a Democratic incumbent: Russ Muirhead, Ellen Rockmore, Terry Spahr and Mary Hakken-Phillips.
That lineup makes this a race among current officeholders who carry the same party label. For voters, the central question is how to compare four incumbents when party identification alone does not distinguish one candidate from another.
The candidates
Russ Muirhead is running as a Democrat and is an incumbent in the Grafton 12 State House district. His name is one of four in the district’s contested general election. Muirhead enters the race as a current officeholder seeking to continue serving in the New Hampshire House.
Ellen Rockmore is running as a Democrat and is an incumbent in the Grafton 12 State House district. Her name is one of four in the district’s contested general election. Rockmore enters the race as a current officeholder seeking to continue serving in the New Hampshire House.
Terry Spahr is running as a Democrat and is an incumbent in the Grafton 12 State House district. His name is one of four in the district’s contested general election. Spahr enters the race as a current officeholder seeking to continue serving in the New Hampshire House.
Mary Hakken-Phillips is running as a Democrat and is an incumbent in the Grafton 12 State House district. Her name is one of four in the district’s contested general election. Hakken-Phillips enters the race as a current officeholder seeking to continue serving in the New Hampshire House.
What makes the race contested
The contest has more than one candidate: four incumbents are seeking office in the same State House district. All four are identified as Democrats, so the field does not offer voters a choice between different party labels.
The shared label also means candidate-specific information can be especially important. Voters may look for differences in priorities, legislative records and plans for another term as the campaign develops. Those distinctions can help voters evaluate candidates beyond incumbency and party affiliation.
Because every candidate is already an incumbent, the race is not framed as a contest between a sitting representative and a first-time challenger. Instead, each candidate comes to the election as someone who already holds the office and is asking voters for continued service.
Election date and voter decisions
The Grafton 12 contest will be part of New Hampshire’s 2026 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. This is a State House race, meaning it determines representation in the New Hampshire House rather than in Congress or another level of government.
Before voting, residents can check the ballot instructions for the district and review any candidate statements, public appearances or campaign materials released during the election. Those details may clarify how the four candidates differ even though they have the same party affiliation and incumbent status.
What may shape the campaign
The most important developments will be the positions each candidate presents to voters and the ways the incumbents distinguish their records and priorities. Campaign activity may also show whether the candidates emphasize common goals or different approaches to representing Grafton 12.
Changes to the candidate field, official ballot instructions and election administration dates are also worth watching as Nov. 3 approaches. None of those process questions determines the outcome, but each can affect what voters see and what they need to do when casting a ballot.
