New N.H. Senate is majority female

CONCORD, N.H., Nov. 7 (UPI) -- New Hampshire, a state with the macho motto "Live Free or Die," will soon have the only state senate in the United States with a female majority.

The number of seats held by women jumped from 10 to 13 with Tuesday's election, Now! New Hampshire reported Thursday. That will give women a two-seat advantage over men when the 24-member body reconvenes.

New Hampshire voters also sent their first woman to the U.S. Senate Tuesday when former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican Sen. John Sununu. In the Democratic primary months ago, Hillary Clinton won a majority in an upset after polls predicted a win by Barack Obama.

The state was once a rock-ribbed Republican stronghold. In recent years, it has trended Democratic with the Boston metropolitan area extending across the border.