Claremont Mayor and state rep Dale Girard switches to Republican Party

Dale Girard changed his party registration to Republican at Claremont City Hall on Monday, a shift he said came after “a great deal of thought and consideration” and was not prompted by any problem with Democratic Party leadership. Girard said his ideology no longer lines up with Democrats and that his voting record fits Republicans.

The move matters in Claremont because Girard is not only the city’s mayor, he also represents Sullivan 6 in the New Hampshire House, a seat he has held since Dec. 4, 2024. He was elected in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election as a Democrat and is serving a term that runs through Dec. 2, 2026. The switch gives fresh political meaning to a local office that is formally nonpartisan, even though the mayor remains one of the city’s most visible public figures.

Claremont voters returned Girard to office on Nov. 4, 2025 with a landslide win, giving him more than 1,400 votes while challenger James Campos received just over 500. Claremont operates under a city council-city manager form of government, so the mayor does not run the day-to-day administration, but the office still carries weight in how the city presents itself in public and in its relationship with state leaders in Concord.

Girard’s biography is deeply tied to the city he now leads. He is a lifelong Claremont resident and a 1985 Stevens High School graduate. He bought the family ambulance business in 1999, has worked as a paramedic, and earned an associate degree in business in 2007. That local profile has made him a familiar name in a city where residents have been watching government decisions closely.

The timing of the party change also lands while Claremont is still dealing with the fallout from a school budget crisis. City and school officials reported a deficit of more than $5 million in 2025, a number that sharpened scrutiny over taxes, services and the city’s future priorities. Girard’s new party label will not change the nonpartisan structure of City Hall, but it does add a new layer to how residents may read his role when Claremont’s interests come before lawmakers in Concord.