Shea-Porter, Hodes remain unknowns in their districts

First-term Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (D-Rockingham) and Congressman Paul Hodes (D-Concord) continue to remain relative unknowns in their districts, according to a recent poll by The University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Shea-Porter enjoys a forty-three percent favorable rating from voters in the First Congressional District, yet twenty-six percent said they did not know enough about her to give their opinion.

While, Second Congressional District Congressman Paul Hodes has a thirty-seven percent favorable from district residents and twenty-seven percent said they did know enough about Hodes.

Dean Spiliotes, an independent political analyst, said, "they both have their work cut out for them."

The poll also found that only forty-eight percent of Democrats had a favorable rating of Hodes, while sixty-four percent of Democrats viewed Shea-Porter favorably.

"This could be a function of Hodes endorsing Obama early last year," Spiliotes said.

Shea-Porter's potential rivals, former Congressman Jeb Bradley and former Health and Human Services Secretary John Stephen, also remain unknown to First District residents.

Twenty-one percent of poll respondents said they did not know enough about Bradley, while fifty-five percent said the same for Stephen.