MANCHESTER — After serving nearly 16 years in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Steven Vaillancourt was only slightly disappointed to be second in this week’s primary elections.

There’s still another election to go, and the Republican incumbent from Ward 8 remains on the ballot for general election in November, when voters will return to the polls and decide whether Vaillancourt and some of his Manchester-area colleagues will return to the statehouse.

“I’m not happy obviously because it’s great to top the ticket,” Vaillancourt said.

While not at the top, he’s still on the ticket. Each of Manchester’s House districts has two representatives, and some have a third. Because of the multiple seats, finishing second was good enough to keep Vaillancourt on the ticket for the November election. He and state Rep. Mark Proulx, who finished ahead of Vaillancourt in the Ward 8 race, and Democrats Ryan Curran and Rep. Thomas Katsiantonis will be up for District 15’s two seats.

The Secretary of State’s Office had not published the official totals as of Wednesday night. According to preliminary figures from the city, only nine candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties were winnowed from the statehouse general election ballot.

District 45 race uncertain

One race that remained unclear was District 45, which according to figures from the city, went to Keith Hirschmann with 835 votes. Matthew Swank was listed second with 683 votes, 40 more than Jerry Bergevin. Bergevin, the current representative for District 17, said he spoke to the Secretary of State’s Office Wednesday and was told he was in second place.

Bergevin said he would wait to comment until after the official results were released.

Switching parties

Vaillancourt is one of the more outspoken members of the House, having been removed from the chamber in May when he mocked House Speaker William O’Brien by saying “Sieg Heil” during a dispute on the House floor. Vaillancourt apologized for his use of inflammatory language and was allowed to re-enter.

Vaillancourt was first elected to the House as a Democrat in 1996, then reelected two years later as a Republican. He won again in 2000, this time running as a Libertarian, then switched back to the Republican ticket in 2002 and has remained with the GOP ever since.

Vaillancourt said he’s a staunch conservative when it comes to fiscal matters and promoting small government, but his social principles on gay marriage and abortion clash with voters from the far right.

Vaillancourt said he was targeted by an anti-gay marriage group, which sent out fliers throughout Manchester, including one to his own home. He thought the pamphlet cost him some voters Tuesday, but felt the turnout for the primary was a more extreme demographic than the voters who take part in the general election.

“I feel much more vulnerable when you have a small number of extreme right-wingers,” Vaillancourt said. “When you have a much bigger turnout, when you have people who consider all philosophies, I expect to do better. I tend to do better with that cross-section of voters.”

Vaillancourt expresses his views openly in a blog and on his own television show. Should voters decide against sending him for another term in Concord, he said he would be fine living life outside elected office.

“I wouldn’t be at all disappointed if people voted me out of office, but I think they would be doing themselves a disservice if they did,” Vaillancourt said. “Anybody who believes in most of the issues Republicans espouse would end up voting for me in the general election than a Democrat.”

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Doug Alden may be reached at dalden@unionleader.com.