On election night, Republicans in New Hampshire delivered what many thought of as a slam dunk.

But outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu doesn’t see Republicans’ trifecta control of the governor’s office, the House and the Senate in Concord as a free pass.

The vast majority of bills that pass the Legislature are bipartisan, he said, as they must be. No matter which party is in power, Sununu said it’s the best way to ensure laws benefit the entire state, which trends more politically purple than red or blue.

“You hear about the 30, 40, 50 that might be a little more controversial and might have a little more partisanship to them at times, just because of philosophy, but that doesn’t mean the people of the state don’t agree with them, right?” Sununu said. Not everyone will agree, but “the vast majority of what gets passed here is going to be done in the interest of the state.”

As legislators gathered in the State House Dec. 4 for Organization Day – where all lawmakers are sworn in for the next term and elect their political leaders – they echoed that message of bipartisanship.

Sherman Packard, a Londonderry Republican, was reelected as speaker of the House of Representatives. He demanded civility from his colleagues, whether they agree on policy issues or not.

“We are going to have a vast amount of difference on the subject matter, but by god, that doesn’t mean we can’t be civil and friendly and cooperating with each other when we are on the same page,” Packard said, at which point the House erupted into applause. “All I ask of all of you, on both sides, is that we respect each other and we make sure that we have a civil conversation.”

He defeated his Democratic challenger, Rep. Alexis Simpson from Exeter, 202-162.

These calls for bipartisanship are sure to be tested. The Legislature is set to vote on a multitude of divisive topics, including education funding, abortion restrictions, immigration laws and forming the next state budget, to name a few. Republicans have a 222-178 majority in the House and a 16-8 supermajority in the Senate.

Londonderry Republican Sharon Carson was elected as Senate president. Other positions chosen by members of the Legislature were uncontested. David Scanlan will serve once more as secretary of state, and Monica Mezzapelle will return as the state treasurer.

The Legislature will reconvene on Jan. 8 to begin the 2025 session.

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, or send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.