Claremont
Democrats currently hold a 7-6 edge among state representatives from Sullivan County.
State Reps. Ray Gagnon, D-Claremont, and Jim Grenier, R-Lempster, are not seeking re-election.
As of late Monday, Democrats had candidates for all 13 seats for state representative, while Republicans were still hoping to find a second candidate for the two seats in Sullivan 6 (Newport, Unity), where incumbent Republican Skip Rollins has filed for re-election.
State Rep. Steve Smith, R-Charlestown, who is seeking his fifth term and will face a challenge from Bruce Cragin, a Lempster Democrat, for Sullivan 11 in November, said parties still have until Wednesday to fill any empty slots. He said he expects Republicans will have a second name for Sullivan 6.
So far, the only House primary in Sullivan County in September looks to be on the Democratic side, with former state Rep. Larry Converse running against Gary Merchant for the Sullivan 4 seat in Claremont, which represents the city’s Ward 2 in Concord. The winner would take on state Rep. John O’Connor, the Republican incumbent.
In the Sullivan 6 district representing Unity and Newport, there are three candidates for the two seats. State Rep. Vir ginia Irwin, D-Newport, will be on the primary ballot with former state Rep. Peter Franklin and Larry Flint, both from Newport, seeking to represent the Democrats in the November election.
For Gagnon’s Sullivan 5 seat, representing Claremont’s Ward 3, Republican Walt Stapleton, who lost to Gagnon in 2016, is running against Democrat Chad Rolston. Gagnon, a former Claremont mayor who decided against re-election, has filed to run for Register of Probate for Sullivan County.
In Sullivan 1, incumbents Lee Oxenham, D-Plainfield, and Brian Sullivan, D-Grantham, are being challenged by Republicans Virginia Drye, of Plainfield, and Tanya D. McIntire, of Grantham.
Drye’s mother, Margaret, a Plainfield Republican, is running in November against Linda Tanner, D-Sunapee, for Sullivan 9 which also includes the towns of Cornish, Croydon, Grantham, Newport, Springfield and Unity.
In Sullivan 2, (Croydon, Sunapee) Sue Gottling, D-Sunapee, will face Gates Lucas, R-Sunapee, and in Sullivan 10, representing all three Claremont wards, longtime incumbent John Cloutier, D-Claremont, is running against Republican Conlin Smith.
Smith, who noted when he was elected in 2007 Democrats held a 12-1 majority, doesn’t believe talk of a “blue wave” of Democrats gaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate will impact state elections at the local level.
“If you look at state legislative elections, it hasn’t had much to do with national politics,” Smith said, calling Democrats’ hopes of winning the New Hampshire House based on dislike of President Donald Trump “wishful thinking.”
Smith, the Charlestown Republican, noted that state Rep. Tom Laware, a fellow Republican from Charlestown who has represented the Sullivan 8 district, won by 500 votes in 2016, even though Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster and U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan won the same district handily.
“So there is always a lot of crossover down at the local level,” Smith said.
Sullivan County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Judith Kaufman said the focus will be the quality of the candidates the Democrats are running.
“I think we will increase our majority,” Kaufman, a Cornish resident, said. “When people see the life experiences, credentials, and work experience of all the candidates they will realize they will be incredible assets to the New Hampshire because they bring a phenomenal skill set. Whether an incumbent or new candidate, why wouldn’t they vote for someone that can bring that much experience to Concord.”
For Grenier’s seat — Sullivan 7 with the towns of Lempster, Acworth, Goshen, Langdon and Washington — Judy Aron, of Acworth, a Republican, will face Democrat Claudia Y. Istel, of Acworth.
For the Senate 8 district, which includes Newport area towns, first-term incumbent Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, will face Democrat Jenn Alford-Teaster, of Sutton.
Elsewhere in Sullivan County, there will be a primary for county commissioner in District 1 on the Republican side, but not one that incumbent Jeff Barrette, a longtime Democrat from Claremont, expected to be in.
Barrette will face newcomer Jeremy Herell in the GOP primary with no candidate listed on the Democratic side. Both are from Claremont.
In a phone interview on Monday, Barrette explained that appearing on the Republican ballot is the result of what happened when he voted in the February 2016 presidential primary.
Barrette said he changed his party affiliation as “undeclared” so he could vote as a Republican in the primary. He declined to say who he voted for.
At the polls that day, Barrette said registered as a Republican, as he was permitted to do. But he was not aware he had to then “re-declare” as a Democrat as he left the polls. Consequently, when he tried to file for re-election as a county commissioner as a Democrat, he was told that was not possible as he was listed as Republican. The last day to change party affiliation was June 5.
“I made a mistake,” Barrette said. “But I did learn something.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached pogclmt@gmail.com
