SEABROOK, N.H. — With a huge hug that lifted his grandmother right off her feet, 19-year old Republican Rio Tilton won yesterday’s special election for the Rockingham District 20 seat, representing his hometown of Seabrook as well as Hampton Falls.

“This feels good, really good,” Tilton said last night. “I want to thank everyone for their support.”

Tilton’s opponent, Hampton Falls Democrat Elaine Andrews-Ahearn, 64, had served in the House previously for one two-year term.  

A Twitter pic controversy

Tilton weathered a storm in the midst of his campaign when an embarrassing five-year-old Twitter picture of him garnered media attention. The photo showed a then 15-year-old Tilton smiling and holding a half-burned down cigar near his mouth, with an insinuation in the caption that it was a blunt — slang for a hollowed out cigar with marijuana added. 

Tilton was forced to explain to the local and statewide media that the picture was posted by a friend as a joke because it’s well-known that he doesn’t do drugs. He said people who know him understand that because he lost a close cousin to a drug overdose a few years ago, he has pledged not to use drugs.

Tilton said, he hopes to work on the problem of substance abuse when he gets to the Statehouse.

Tilton, who turned 19 in June, will be the youngest member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, but he won’t be the only young legislator. In May, after turning 19 in December, Yvonne Dean-Bailey defeated her Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Maureen Mann of Deerfield, to win a House seat for Rockingham District 32. A Republican from Northwood, she will represent the towns of Candia, Nottingham, Northwood and Deerfield. 

In New Hampshire, a person must be at least 18 years old to take a seat in the state’s 400-member House of Representatives. Thirty and older is the age requirement for those in the 24-member New Hampshire Senate, according to New Hampshire House Clerk Paul Smith. 

Prior to May, the youngest member of the House of Representatives was 21-year-old Joseph Sweeney, a Republican from Salem, according to House Clerk Paul Smith. He was elected two years ago while a freshman in college.

An early love of politics

It was Tilton’s love of politics, coupled with the urging of friends and family, that caused him to toss his hat in the ring. A business administration major at Great Bay Community College, he also works part-time at Brown’s Lobster Pound. 

One of the first really hot beach days this season, yesterday probably wasn’t the best time to expect a great turnout for an election. But the February resignation of former state Rep. Dennis Sweeney required it. Sweeney, who was elected for the first time last November, resigned after failing to make one meeting because of his work schedule. 

Aware of the district’s concern over attendance since Sweeney resigned, Tilton pledge to show up at the Statehouse for both committee meetings and House sessions, confining his education to online and evening courses. 

Angeljean Chiaramida originally reported this story for the Daily News of Newburyport.