Hassan Wins Governor's Race [VIDEO]

The Exeter Democrat defeats Manchester Republican Ovide Lamontagne.

Democrat Maggie Hassan has defeated Republican Ovide Lamontagne to become New Hampshire's 81st governor, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 8:55 p.m. on Nov. 6. Hassan succeeds four-term Democrat John Lynch, who decided not to run for a fifth two-year term. "Thank you to the people of New Hampshire for the trust you have placed in me," Hassan said during her victory speech in Manchester. "I will not let you down." Hassan thanked Republican challenger Ovide Lamontage for his public service and said she will work with both sides of the Legislature to get things done. "The challenges our state faces must be met with the best solutions and ideas we can muster," she said. "Good ideas and good people reside on both sides…

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NH Towns to Keep an Eye on Tuesday

UNH political science professor Dante Scala tells us which towns he sees as bellwethers for who New Hampshire will go for in the presidential election.

In every big election, there are towns prognosticators look to as indicators of how a particular state, or even the entire country, might vote. These bellwether towns can provide an early sign of what the final result is going to be. We asked University of New Hampshire political science professor Dante Scala to tell us which Granite State towns he thinks will be bellwethers in Tuesday's presidential election between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Working-class Rochester and other northern Strafford County towns like Farmington, Strafford and Northwood were among the ones he mentioned. He also cited Seacoast communities like Hampton, North Hampton, Rye and Stratham as potential bellwethers, because they're a bit well-off, but …

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Brian

8:20 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012

Please give me your name address and post a check for whatever amount. I'll take your bet. But then, if you had an ounce of courage, you'd use your real name instead of hate-mongering.   more ›

Hassan, Lamontagne Clash in Final Debate [VIDEO]

Ovide Lamontagne and Maggie Hassan debate abortion, education, casinos, taxes and role of state government.

The candidates for New Hampshire governor clashed one final time before Election Day, offering different visions on social and fiscal issues in their televised debate Nov. 1 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on the campus of Saint Anselm College. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from Exeter, and Ovide Lamontagne, a Republican from Manchester, debated abortion, public kindergarten, public safety, tax policy and expanded gambling during the hour-long debate on WMUR. Lamontagne said he supported a right-to-work bill, while Hassan opposed it, saying it amounted to the state interferring between employers and employees. They also differed on the ballot question that proposes implementing a ban on a state income tax into the New Hampshire …

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Election Notebook

Ovide vs. Maggie: The Endorsement Battle

A quick look at who's endorsing who in the governor's race.

With only nine days to go before the Nov. 6 election, we decided to take a last look at some of the endorsements the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates have received to this point. So here's the list, courtesy of the respective campaigns: Maggie Hassan (D) Ovide Lamontagne (R) It's been a wild few days, what with Dr. Jill Biden in state Friday and President Obama in Nashua on Saturday. But that's just the start. On Monday, Vice President Joe Biden and Ann Romney are scheduled to be in New Hampshire, and on Tuesday, Mitt Romney and First Lady Michelle Obama are expected to visit. Of course, Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to hit here on Monday night, could wind up scuttling some of those planned visits, not to mention …

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2012 Election Guide

OP/ED: Romney, Lamontagne, Guinta Deserve Your Votes

Nov. 6 "will be the most important election in my lifetime," writes the son of a former N.H. governor.

By Tom Thomson Son of the late Gov. Mel Thomson I believe this election, Nov. 6, will be the most important election of my lifetime. We as a nation are clearly at a crossroads and our vote will determine the fate of ourselves but more importantly for our children and grandchildren.  My pick for president is Gov. Mitt Romney; I like many have not been impressed with President Barack Obama’s “Hope and Change” over the past four years. Whether you voted for Obama four years ago or not, please consider a few facts that in my opinion are destroying the hopes and dreams of our hard working Americans.  1. Even after trillions of dollars that Obama spent to supposedly improve the economy, unemployment under his watch has increased to 8.3 percent …

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2012 Election Guide

Rubio: Hassan, Dems Think 'Strong' Enterprise 'Offends People' [VIDEO]

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan, President Barack Obama and other Democrats don't "understand" its importance.

A sense of "guilt," "fear" and a general lack of "understanding" of the free enterprise system has led Democrats to lead the United States to an economic recession and budget crisis, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told a packed room Monday at Brown's Lobster Pound in Seabrook. Rubio, who was in the Seacoast area Monday to support New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate Ovide Lamontagne, took many shots at Democrats, calling on local residents to choose wisely on Nov. 6 because Rubio said state elections carry a much more immediate impact on the economic issues — issues he said were created by the ideologies of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan, President Barack Obama and others. "Your opponent, from everything I've read and …

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Kyle Stucker

4:19 pm on Monday, October 15, 2012

The video is now posted to this story. I apologize that some system issues greatly slowed it's upload.   more ›

Election Notebook

Shaheen Stumps for Warren in Mass.

The New Hampshire senator campaigned in three Massachusetts towns on Monday.

Overlooked a bit in all of the other political news in New Hampshire last week was the fact that U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, campaigned for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts on Columbus Day. Shaheen made stops in Foxboro, Framingham and Brookline on Monday to speak with Warren's supporters. In her Framingham stop, Shaheen focused on how important it is that Warren defeat Republican Sen. Scott Brown on Nov. 6. "I know you all understand what's at stake here," Shaheen said. "Elizabeth Warren has been a real champion for working men and women. She's an advocate. I saw her in action in Washington when she came up with this idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and really almost single-handedly …

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Tammy

11:02 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Jim-That does not give you license to mock others and be a bigot.   more ›

Marco Rubio to Stump for Ovide in Seabrook

The Republican U.S. senator from Florida is the featured guest of a fundraising event for the New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, will be the featured speaker at a $50-to-$500 per person dinner fundraiser for New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate Ovide Lamontagne on Sunday in Seabrook, according to the Union Leader. The event will be co-hosted by Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Govs. Craig Benson, Steve Merrill and John H. Sununu, according to the paper. Many Republicans have praised Rubio, 41, for his approach and platforms, including New York Gov. Rudy Giuliani when Giuliani was in Hampton last month campaigning for Kevin Smith, who lost the Republican gubernatorial nomination to Lamontagne.

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2012 Election Guide

'Leadership' is Ovide Lamontagne's Key Focus During Hampton Visit

Ovide Lamontagne spoke to a packed room of Hampton Rotary members Tuesday at the Old Salt.

By Tom Cronin Spokesman for Ovide Lamontagne for Governor   In front of a full house of Rotarians at the Old Salt Restaurant in Hampton on Tuesday, Ovide Lamontagne, the Republican candidate for governor, laid out his six leadership priorities that he will pursue if elected. Lamontagne's priorities, based on his comprehensive Prosperity Agenda and ‘Ovide’s Oath’, are the six key areas he will focus on as governor to improve our economy, put our families and neighbors back to work, and protect the New Hampshire Advantage.   Lamontagne's leadership priorities are:  1.  Creating a competitive and attractive environment for businesses to thrive and create and jobs by working to implement his ‘ESE Plan’ to simplify and reform our business tax …

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Gary Patton

4:53 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2012

A summary of Ovide Lamontagne's platform wouldn't be complete without noting that Lamontagne is "100 percent pro-life" meaning that he opposes abortion in all cases, including rape, incest, and even when the life of the mother is threatened. Also, Lamontagne favors vouchers for private schools meaning that, in violation of the New Hampshire Constitution, he would give public tax money to private …   more ›