Big shoes to fill in 14
By Wally EdgeState Senator Bob Clegg shocked no one (except maybe those who recruited Jennifer Horn to run) when he announced he was running against Freshman Congressman Paul Hodes in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.
Clegg was a leader in the House when he was a member of New Hampshire’s House delegation and quickly became a leader in the State Senate. With his departure he leaves big shoes to fill, but who will fill those shoes?
The seat, which includes Hudson, Auburn and Londonderry is one of the most Republican seats in the state and will be favored to remain in Republican hands baring a major upset. The early frontrunner is Londonderry State Rep Sharon Carson. Carson is a popular vote getter in Londonderry and is considered a candidate who can reach out to most voters.
Also with Londonderry and Hudson both having roughly 24,000 voters there seems to be some agreement that the next Senator should come from Londonderry after the district was represented by Clegg of Hudson.
Another candidate considering a run is Rep. James Lawrence of Hudson. Lawrence faces an uphll battle with Londonderry having an edge in Republican voters. Lawrence would need Hudson to get behind him in lock step, but that doesn’t appear to be happening.
A sleeper in the race could be former State Rep. David Alukonis. Alukonis is the Chairman of the Hudson School Board and the former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee when he served as a State Representative. Alukonis is mentioned as a possible candidate, but to date has not said he will be entering the race.
Contributors
James Pindell
The year 2008 brought many fun memories for New Hampshire political junkies. From Hillary's tear in Portsmouth to the >
Dante Scala
Another county that moved toward the Democrats in the 1960s and 1970s was Carroll County. By the end of the ‘70s, Carroll was still strongly ... >
PolitickerNH Partners
Hot Topics
| Politicker INTERACTIVE | |
 |
Lawmaker Profile Follow the funding of your representatives |
 |
270 to Win See how Obama got to the magic number |
Most Active Stories
- Patrick Arnold announces bid for State House
- The short list for U.S. Attorney
- Prominent Dems to lead McCain group
- Stephen officially declares candidacy for Congress
- Merrill to run for state Senate
- John Hutson to speak in Denver
- The Senate's newest candidate, Callahan, in race for the race's sake
- Exclusive: Spradling to leave WMUR
- Update: Estabrook not running for re-election
- Stephen continues discussing economy, trust
Quote of the Day
"If we keep operating on this patient without allowing time to heal, sooner or later he'll die on the table and I don't think that's something anybody wants."
David Lang, president of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire, on possible changes to the state retirement system
Recent Press Releases
- Dec 30 2008
Syndicate
Wrong terminology, Wally.
Clegg was a member of New Hampshire's House of Representatives. New Hampshire's DELEGATION to anything means it's not a New Hampshire thing. For example, if you speak of New Hampshire's House delegation, there is nothing that could mean except for our two members of the United States House of Representatives. Clegg has never been that.
Paul Chevalier
Paul Chevalier of Hudson would make a great candidate. He was the Chair of McCain's veterans coalition, which looks to have launched him to the nomination. I think a veteran with close personal ties to the Presidential candidate in a heavily Republican district would stand the best chance.
Big shoes to fill in 14
State Rep. Jim Lawrence is the par excellent candidate with a resume that nobody can match....Grad of the Air Force Academy, owner of successful business employing over 40, a conservative republican, a good looking african-american candidate who is under 40 years old. Replace the old battle horse Bobby Clegg with anybody else would be foolish.
Post new comment