Clegg downplays Republican label

State Sen. Bob Clegg (R-Hudson): Photo Credit: www.cleggforcongress.comIn an online editorial, 2nd Congressional District candidate Bob Clegg (R-Hudson) says presumptive Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will win the Granite State in the fall not because McCain is a Republican but because he is "independent." In the same editorial, Clegg, a state senator, says he also represents the "mind-set" of voters.

"Both of our congressional seats are now occupied by Democrats, but I believe the voters of New Hampshire will deliver them back to the Republicans this year, with John McCain leading the way," Clegg wrote on the website GraniteGrok. "This is not because we both have an ‘R' next to our names; this is because John McCain and I truly represent the mind-set of New Hampshire voters. In 2004, 44% of New Hampshire voters identified themselves as ‘independent'."

Clegg is competing in the Republican primary against Grant Bosse of Hillsboro, Jennifer Horn of Nashua and Jim Steiner of Concord.

Clegg added that McCain is "not beholden" to the Republican label.

"Senator John McCain has a long history of being criticized by both the far Left or far Right, a clear sign that he is trying to get things done for the American people and that he is not beholden to either one of two labels that make-up the vast majority of American politics; labels that almost 1 in 2 New Hampshirites reject themselves."

He said that if elected he would restrain spending in the nation's capital and work to keep America safe from terrorists.

"This is more than about being a Republican or a Democrat; this is about telling Washington that it is about time they get their act together, no matter which side of the aisle they sit on," Clegg wrote.