Editing Portsmouth, New Hampshire (section)

==Government==
{{see also|List of mayors of Portsmouth, New Hampshire}}

The city of Portsmouth operates under a council-manager system of government. Portsmouth elects a nine-member at-large City Council to serve as the city's primary legislative body.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/citycouncil/index.htm=| title=Portsmouth City Council, 2014 and 2015| publisher=City of Portsmouth| access-date=June 6, 2015}}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The candidate who receives the most votes is designated the Mayor (currently Deaglan McEachern), while the candidate receiving the second-highest vote total is designated the Assistant Mayor (currently Joanna Kelley). While the mayor and council convene to establish municipal policy, the City Manager (currently Karen Conard) oversees the city's day-to-day operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/city-manager|title=City Manager|last=Karen|first=Conard|date=February 12, 2020|website=City of Portsmouth|access-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"  style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Portsmouth city vote<br/> by party in presidential elections<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://sos.nh.gov/elections/elections/election-results/|title=Election Results|website=sos.nh.gov}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|2020]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''72.53%''' ''10,663''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|26.09% ''3,836''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.37% ''202''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|2016]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''66.57%''' ''8,911''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|27.13% ''3,632''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|6.30% ''843''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|2012]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''67.38%''' ''8,848''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|31.13% ''4,088''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.49% ''195''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|2008]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''70.19%''' ''9,147''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|28.62% ''3,729''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.19% ''155''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|2004]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''66.24%''' ''8,436''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|32.86% ''4,185''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.90% ''115''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2000 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|2000]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''59.93%''' ''6,862''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.03% ''3,896''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|6.04% ''692''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1996 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1996]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.03%''' ''6,343''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|29.47% ''3,014''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|8.50% ''869''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1992 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1992]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.71%''' ''6,132''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|30.05% ''3,563''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|18.24% ''2,163''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1988]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.99%''' ''5,377''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.67% ''4,827''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.33% ''138''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1984 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1984]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.93% ''4,418''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''52.76%''' ''4,967''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.32% ''30''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1980 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1980]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|39.60% ''3,666''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''43.46%''' ''4,023''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|16.94% ''1,568''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1976 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1976]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.89%''' ''4,303''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.34% ''4,169''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.77% ''153''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1972 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1972]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|44.81% ''3,656''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''54.60%''' ''4,455''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.59% ''48''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1968 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1968]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.80%''' ''4,285''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|42.34% ''3,372''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|3.86% ''307''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1964 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1964]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''70.43%''' ''5,585''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|29.57% ''2,345''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1960 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|1960]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.88%''' ''4,687''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.12% ''4,348''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|}

Portsmouth is part of [[New Hampshire's 1st congressional district]], currently represented by Democrat [[Chris Pappas (American politician)|Chris Pappas]]. Portsmouth is part of the [[Executive Council of New Hampshire|Executive Council]]'s 3rd district, currently represented by Republican [[Janet Stevens]]. In the [[New Hampshire Senate|State Senate]], Portsmouth is represented by Democrat [[Rebecca Perkins Kwoka]]. In the [[New Hampshire House of Representatives|State House of Representatives]], Portsmouth is divided among the 25th through 31st Rockingham districts.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wmlresults.aspx?town=Portsmouth| title=House Members| publisher=New Hampshire General Court| access-date=November 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://sos.nh.gov/VoteDist.aspx| title=Voting Districts| publisher=New Hampshire Secretary of State| access-date=November 12, 2017| archive-date=November 15, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115060930/http://sos.nh.gov/VoteDist.aspx| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Politically, Portsmouth is a center of liberal politics and a stronghold for the Democratic Party. [[Ronald Reagan]] was the last Republican presidential nominee to carry the city in his 1984 landslide reelection. In 2016, Portsmouth voted 67.70% for [[Hillary Clinton]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|presidential election]], 62.53% for [[Colin Van Ostern]] in the [[New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2016|gubernatorial election]], 64.48% for [[Maggie Hassan]] in the [[United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 2016|senatorial election]], and 62.16% for [[Carol Shea-Porter]] in the [[United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire, 2016|congressional election]].<ref>{{cite web|title=State General Election Results|url=http://cityofportsmouth.com/cityclerk/11-08-16GeneralElectionResults.pdf|website=City of Portsmouth|access-date=November 11, 2016|date=November 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112015229/http://cityofportsmouth.com/cityclerk/11-08-16GeneralElectionResults.pdf|archive-date=November 12, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2014, Portsmouth voted 70.05% for Maggie Hassan in the [[New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2014|gubernatorial election]], 67.34% for [[Jeanne Shaheen]] in the [[United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 2014|senatorial election]], and 68.34% for Carol Shea-Porter in the [[United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire, 2014|congressional election]]. In 2012, Portsmouth voted 67.56% for Barack Obama in the [[2012 United States presidential election|presidential election]], 70.16% for Maggie Hassan in the [[New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2012|gubernatorial election]], and 68.50% for Carol Shea-Porter in the [[United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire, 2012|congressional election]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://cityofportsmouth.com/cityclerk/elections.htm=| title=Election Results| publisher=Portsmouth, New Hampshire City Clerk| access-date=June 6, 2015}}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In March 2014, Portsmouth became the first municipality in New Hampshire to implement protections for city employees from discrimination on the basis of gender identity, by a 9–0 vote of the city council.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://nhpr.org/post/portsmouth-council-unanimously-approves-gender-identity-protection| title=Portsmouth City Council Unanimously Approves Gender Identity Protection| author=Emily Corwin| date=March 4, 2014| publisher=New Hampshire Public Radio| access-date=June 9, 2015}}</ref>