"Speaker of the House Sherman Packard, who was picked by his caucus to retain the gavel for another two years, was first elected to the State House in 1990. Next year will be his 17th term in the legislature, many of them as part of the leadership.

Deputy minority leader Rep. Alexis Simpson (D-Exeter), viewed as the frontrunner to be chosen as the Democrats’ leader in the House on Thursday, was just elected to her fourth term.

One of Simpson’s challengers for the leadership post, Alicia Gregg of Nashua, was just reelected to her second term. And the third candidate, 21-year-old Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough), wasn’t even born when Packard first became a House member."