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NH-1: Guinta Has *Got* To Go


I write about so many races I can’t actually vote in that it’s especially refreshing to come back to this one for a closer look two months running since my original piece on New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District race.

Back in late May I did a generic overview of this District in which I outed the flaming liberal Carol Shea-Porter for the “out of touch with Granite staters” Democrat she was, and offered a list of the 4 GOP candidates vying for the GOP nod in New hampshire’s September 14, 2010 primary. CQ Politics, for what it’s worth, is calling this one a “Tossup” and WaPo has it as a “Race to Watch.”

Back then I was a resident of Texas, and as such played it somewhat “middle of the road.” As luck, or in my case the Lord’s divine providence, would have it…now I am a resident of New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District and I ain’t so impartial anymore. I’ll get to why I’m going all-in for Sean Mahoney in this race in a minute…let’s talk about the so-called “front-runner” Guinta first as the means by which I can explain myself.

Guinta found himself in my crosshairs when I came across this piece from Real Clear Politics yesterday. Referring to a story about Kelly Ayotte’s remark that Guinta was grandstanding the Stimulus bill…vowing he’d have voted against it while complaining that NH hadn’t yet benefitted adequately from it. Kelly Ayotte, if you don’t know, is the front-running Republican looking to fill retiring Judd Gregg’s Senate seat.

In the case of Guinta, principles seem to vary depending on whether he’s talking as a Mayor or as a Candidate for the US House pandering for a couple votes…apparently. And I could almost forgive him this little item; as mayor he has to oversee the provision of services to his residents (Manchester, for the record) whether HE would have redistributed those funds from the Fed coffers or not…he insists he’s just trying to do what he was elected to do. That the Stimulus is essentially water under the bridge now gives him a bit of a pass. It’s what RCP goes ON to say about Guinta’s policy positions that set off all my Rino alarms, and convince me he can not be trusted to stand by the principles we Conservatives are expecting our candidates to espouse when we send them to Washington to set about cleaning up the mess Obama and his buddies have made of our Country.

From RCP:

But wait, there’s more! Candidate Guinta is also making a big deal out of his opposition to cap-and-trade and the like. As for Mayor Guinta, well, scroll down this list. He signed onto the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (pdf), which endorsed the Kyoto protocol emissions targets.

Guinta also signed on (pdf) to the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities Agreement. That’s sure to play well in a Republican primary in New Hampshire.

Folks, it’s pretty darn cold in New Hampshire in the winter. Cap & Trade is not only a job killer, but the pressure on energy prices and the huge increase in taxes (directly or indirectly) passed on to us by energy providers will KILL Granite Staters. Oil is a primary source of heat in the winter time up here, and winter usually runs upwards of 5 or 6 months. We can not afford to have ANYONE in Congress that might support Cap & Trade…and we certainly can’t afford its effects here in the North East. And, I honestly don’t trust a guy like Guinta to stand up to the pressure from the Liberals and the activists and the lobbyists and the green freaks like the Sierra Club once he’s in Washington if he’s already succumbed to them here in New Hampshire. Nope-Guinta will JUST not do.

So, on to my guy – Sean Mahoney. He has a biography page and he has an issues page and, of course he has a DONATE page. You can visit these in any order, so long as you interact with that last one there if you can. As much as I support this guy on the merits, he had me at this paragraph from his bio:

In January, 2007 Sean was elected as New Hampshire’s Committeeman to the Republican National Committee by a vote of 302-102. During his tenure as RNC Committeeman, Sean has been a forceful advocate for maintaining New Hampshire’s time-tested First in the Nation Primary. While serving on the RNC Rules Committee, the RNC codified New Hampshire’s leadoff role in the presidential primary, the first time either major party had taken such a strong position in recognition of New Hampshire’s vital role in electing presidents. In December, 2008, Sean stood up the establishment and co-sponsored a resolution opposed to government bailouts of the banks and other private industries. In April, 2010, Sean resigned from the RNC in protest of excessive spending at the RNC.

How can you NOT love a guy that won’t sit still for the Party machine and its shenanigans? He had me at “resigned from the RNC in protest of excessive spending at the RNC.”

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COMMENTS

  • rdelbov

    like to accuse me of stirring the pot here but I need to know. Dave who do favor in the New Hampshire senate race? I spoke up fro Kelly Ayotte on Thursday. Apparently the burning issue of the day in the Granite state is the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.

    What do you think of all the candidates in this senate primary?

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      Ayotte
      Mahoney for NH-1
      AnybodyButBass in NH-2…

      No, really…I absolutely am against Bass…but I’m still shopping in NH-2. So, if I have to vote tomorrow, it’s Giuda…and it might still be in September…but I’m just not completely sold yet.

      As to the other candidates with Ayotte in the primary, Binnie and Bender have a lot of cash, but I think Ayotte has the name rec and would be a better Senator in the long run. Though these other 2 guys are catching up fast, I think Ayotte takes this one. The sleeper might be Binnie though…judging from al lthe polls:

      http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/NHPoll.htm#Gov

      • http://thecorruptworld.blogspot.com/ wayneinnh

        Neither one of them have any business in the Republican primary. They are both pro-choice, pro homosexual marriage, and have no conservative credentials whatsoever.

        • NH_GOP

          Binnie is a RINO but Bender is not… has no Dem baggage and is fiscally conservative, and is against all the same things pro-lifers are against… I would not call that pro-choice.

          Ayotte is for Sotomayor, how prolife is that? NOT!

          • http://thecorruptworld.blogspot.com/ wayneinnh

            Maybe you missed this on his website:

            On Abortion:
            State government has the responsibility to regulate in this area without interference from any branch of the Federal government. I believe in strong parental consent laws, I oppose Federal funding for abortion and I support the ban on partial birth abortions. I believe that this is a very difficult decision and should be decided by a woman in the privacy of her doctor?s office.

            On Marriage:
            I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I support civil unions with equal rights, but the federal government should not require churches to violate their own beliefs. Religions that believe marriage is between a man and a woman must be respected and the federal government?s role should be subordinate to the states, just as the Constitution provides.

            Link: http://benderforsenate.com/issues#abortion

      • IJB
      • pilgrim
        • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

          what little I know of her indicates that she might be a good Rep. But…she had her butt handed to her last time around, and is way down in dollars. There’s not much time left, and I worry she’s got too much ground to pick up.

          A couple old polls showed her lagging behind Bass against either of the Dems…so I’m not feeling it for her to win the general…whereas Giuda looks like he has a better chance of that-purely hunch, of course.

          Heh-as we know, this is an inexact science, though, and these lovable little Granite State voters love to surprise us.

      • rdelbov

        the response.

        I think Ayotte is tops in my book.

        I have no idea on NH house races.

        • NH_GOP

          Ayotte is the last choice of the grassroots and that will play out in the election.

      • NH_GOP

        Ayotte = not for castle doctrine, Sotomayor, and never prosecuted Dems voter fraud and kiddie porn when she could have… she is being manipulated by DC and NH does not want her.

      • NHConservative0227

        Dave, please don’t make the mistake of voting for Ayotte.

        She is a Progressive/RINO. Her support of Sotomayor confirms this. Also in the link below she refused to say who she voted for in the 2006 and 2008 governor elections in NH. I take that as a vote for Lynch!

        http://nhinsider.squarespace.com/press-releases/2009/11/20/dscc-lamontagne-on-the-offense.html

        I must say that I think supporting Sotomayor should automatically disqualify any candidate. I think it’s actually worse that supporting Cap and Tax. The reason is that when you confirm a radical judge like Sotomayor she has a lifetime appointment to push a far left radical agenda. This obviously includes a wide variety of dangerous policies/rulings including but not limited to banning guns, affirmative action, amnesty, pro-abortion, pro-Obamacare, supporting Cap and Tax legislation, and supporting an ever expanding Federal government to completely micromanage our everyday lives.

        Ayotte is bad news and must be defeated.

        I like Ovide LaMontagne as the most conservative candidate.

    • NH_GOP

      Binnie is being supported by Obama people.. so he’s out.

      Ayotte did not act ‘conservative’ when she was AG and doesn’t come off well when speaking… it is obvious she has DC controllers and she did a lot of not conservative things while AG, like letting Voter Fraud have a pass, prosecuting Republicans etc.

      Bender is the only true conservative in the race, is for the 2nd, states rights, no public funding of abortions, parental notifications, and no PBAs… must teach abstinence in public schools and must leave legal question to states.

      Bender is the growing choice of the grassroots.

  • Mark D

    Public Service of New Hampshire’s basic plan charges 15.853 cents/KWH to residential customers. Their Bow power plant is fueled by coal. Cap and Trade will surely sent those electric rates higher.

  • redtillimdead

    I like Guinta. His fundraising has been crappy and his support for the stimulus has put me in Mahoney’s camp. As a former RNC member, he can raise the money to compete in addition to what he can self fund. He is a much stronger candidate and more conservative.

    • redtillimdead

      not like.

  • http://thecorruptworld.blogspot.com/ wayneinnh

    Second of all, as a resident of Manchester I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ll support Sean Mahoney in the primary, and whoever wins will get my vote in the general. Carol Shea-Porter is as sharp as oatmeal and has to go.

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      I’m in Manchester as well…we’ll need to flash the double secret decoder ring if we ever run into each other at CJ’s so no one else will know it’s us EEEVIL Redstaters, here to take over their damn liberal city :)

      • From ME to You

        If you’re ever in So. Maine you can wander over into my area!

        I recommend Federal Jack’s in K’port. Good food , good brew!

        I like Blue Fin Stout!

        • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

          I like Brown’s ice cream…was just there a week ago. Must have beer and ice cream!

          • From ME to You
      • http://thecorruptworld.blogspot.com/ wayneinnh

        If you frequent CJ’s, then we are going to run into each other at some point. I am there at least once a week.The death sauce rocks.

        • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

          that I live in walking distance…well, TO CJ’s…it’s more like wobble distance on the return journey :)

  • america1st

    Met him soon after he declared – he & his entourage were entirely too slick & afflicted with forked tongues. Mahoney seems OK & plan to be in Brentwood to see him tomorrow. Hoping to see Kimball take the gubernatorial slot and thinking very seriously of favoring Binnie over Ayotte; we need business people, not lawyers, to lead us!

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      he seems to think that wouldn’t work out well for us.

    • http://thecorruptworld.blogspot.com/ wayneinnh

      From the Concord Monitor:

      He is also the most socially moderate of his Republican competitors. Binnie is pro-choice and believes gay marriage and civil unions should be left up to the states. In a debate, he was quoted as saying he opposes the Arizona immigration law, though he later came out with a radio ad saying he understood why Arizona passed it. Binnie gave money to Democratic state Sen. Martha Fuller-Clark of Portsmouth when she ran for Congress (though he also donated to her Republican opponent), and his wife has donated to both Democrats and Republicans.

      We need a conservative REPUBLICAN. We don’t need a pro-choice, pro-homosexual marriage, pro illegal alien, Martha Fuller-Clark supporter as the Republican nominee. Let him challenge Paul Hodes for the Democrat nomination. That seems to be where he falls.

      Link: http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/gop-senate-race-wide-open?page=0,0

      • NHConservative0227

        I also heard Binnie criticize the Arizona lay saying it could leave to profiling at one of the 912 group debates.

        This guy is a fraud. I don’t think he understands the limits of the Constitution and only wants to gain power.

  • NH_GOP

    Mind your own business. Guinta has won every straw poll and is the popular one in the grassroots and elsewhere HE WILL WIN and polls higher than Porter.

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      I live in NH-1, and I don’t give a rip about the straw polls. I don’t want Guinta representing this District, because he will not be representing me.

      Judging from your u-name, I “get” why you commented here…he’s the party machine guy…and you’re doing your duty as a mouthpiece of the party machine…you know, the one that helped us get here in the first place?

      Mahoney is not one of you, and he gets my voice and my money and my support.

      We’ll see come 9/15 which one of us is shameful-the blind follower, or the one trying to change the party to one that actually cares about Conservatism and hears the voices that keep saying enough is enough.

      • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

        …because it needs to be addressed: your candidates all want our attention. They want our attention, our donations, our volunteering for phone banks, our phone interviews, and our enthusiasm. Which is fine, but there’s something that comes attached with all of that: our opinions.

        Deal with it.

    • acat

      Until then, sod off.

      Mew

      • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

        .

        • rdelbov

          on races I can’t vote–yes the Tax angle is there but i receive at least weekly invitations to send money to candidates. It seems races not only are nationalized but the funding for them are as well.

          I will say again that we need a million people to donate $100 to GOP house candidates this year.

          Dave Poff

          here’s another one for you. Who do you support for Governor in New Hampshire-GOP side? Plus can Lynch be beat?

          Plus is LePage the real deal in Maine. I have read some good stuff on him.

          • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

            if you believe CQ Politics (and I tend to bow to their wisdom) I’d say it’s doubtful that Lynch will be beat. Polls I see have Lynch hovering around 50% against ANY of the GOP challengers, the best of which appears to be Stephen…which is not good news for us.

            Le Page I got nothin…will investigate.

          • rdelbov

            and I will keep an idea on Stephen

          • IJB

            Lynch has been polling under 50% for several months now, and the trend on him is *down*:

            That’s why several places, RCP among them, have downgraded this race from “Soild Dem” to just “Likely Dem”.

            In addition, NH has some kind of long history of never electing anyone to a 4th consecutive 2 year term.

            IOW, Lynch *is* beatable.

            P.S. I find that CQ Politics follows CW, and as a result generally skews in the Dems’ favor.

          • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

            IJB…I’m only a month on the ground here in NH, so I defer….

            If Lynch wins, but it’s close…the trend to 2012 (when we’ll have Obama running for cover, and the rest of the takeover of the Legislative branch in our sights) we’ll see :)

          • NHConservative0227

            Jack Kimball has been neck and neck with John Stephen for the GOP nominee for governor. Stephen is more of an establishment politician plus he has some baggage with the supposed money he got for the volunteer work in RI.

            Kimball meets with people every Tuesday at his business Great Bay Facilites off Route 1 in Hamption from 10 am to 2pm.

            I stopped in and talked to him a few months ago. He is a successful businessman running for office for the first time. He is very down to earth and seems sincere. The guy actually calls Glenn Beck an American Hero and refers to Obama as a idiot. He strongly supports the Az immigration law and has plenty of ideas of ways to cut spending/ repeal business taxes to make NH competitive again. Jack said that in 2008 he voted for Sarah Palin, not the RINO McCain. Even the meeting was only supposed to last until 2pm, he talked to me for an extra 40 minutes.

            Jack was the first politician I’ve ever sat down and talked to one on one. To me he comes across as a real conservative who is genuinely concerned for his state/country and is strongly motivated to restore its conservative roots.

    • Scope

      to know that one doesn’t need to use profane language to show disrespect. Telling someone to mind their own business is equal to telling someone to shut up with a few unsaid expletive intentions. They are both rude.

      You have a right to your own preferences, especially when it comes to elections, and who you choose to back and vote for. So does haystack. If you have differing information or ideas, about your guy, write your own diary, and say what you will there. You will sink or swim with your ideas. So far, it appears that you will need an inner tube, or those little arm bands that children wear to keep yourself afloat.

      You sound like a yellow jacket that just comes in for the bite, and then flys away. We got lots of fly swatters here cover haystacks back.

    • hamiltonfan

      Listen, Frank is weak, he has no values and cant think for himself.
      When in the lege. he voted to allow the sale of baby body parts. get that! he was one of the most liberal gop reps, in the House that session. he voted to raise taxes on business by 25%. he voted to support the Shaheen budget with state spending going up like 12% all funds 25%.
      He’s for the Kyoto treaty which the US Senate voted not to ratified 99 to zip. He?s more liberal than John Kerry on climate change. Is he really? Most likely not. Frank just does not think he has no values to fall back on to. he is a me to go along to get along rino. he says what his handlers tell him to say and that?s it. So yes he sounds great now, but he’ll never stand up to the establishment.
      Frank is a walking talking point repeater. No one can claim to be right of center or have conservative values (or any freaking values) and allow the sale of baby fetus parts in NH. HB 602 in the session he served 2001

  • Michael Dugas

    You moved from the Greatest State in the Union, Texas, TOO New Hampshire!
    Were you like a hostage or something, also known as a husband, and had no choice?
    Please tell me you had to do it because your company offered you millions to relocate….but it’s only temporary….right?

    New Hampshire? man……..that’s just so wrong.

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      there was a wife involved…relocation too, but as an Unemployed-American, it had nothing to do with an employer.

      Suffice it to say there is no more wife, the rest I leave to your vivid imagination.

      • nessa

        “Live Free or Die” can’t beat that with a stick. And now there’s one more who is willing to walk the walk, not just put it on his tags.

        • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

          Will be starting to attend local and State GOP meetings soon…as a registered Independent…they’re not ready for a DC-born, NH native turned Texan turned repatriated Granite Stater.

          They’re just not ready for me, but they’ll know me well soon enough.

          • Michael Dugas

            Now say that last line in your post:
            “They?re just not ready for me, but they?ll know me well soon enough.”
            and add the appropriate evil laugh.
            I’d go with the time tested Muahahahahah!

      • Michael Dugas

        I, at least, went from Texas to Florida…not….not…..New Hampshire for G-ds sake.
        But I too suffer from the “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” syndrome.

        I’m a Floridian now. But I do miss Texas……..

  • eburke

    depleted (actually it *is* depleted but since Mrs. Burke doesn’t know that yet….) and since I planned on spending it all on conservative condidates in primaries where there is a conservative with a reasonable chance of winning matched up against a ‘go along, get along’ moderate/liberal GOPer…

    In your humble opinion, does this race fit those parameters?

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      this one CAN go to the Conservative anti-establishment type.

      Mrs. Burke will never hear it from me!

      • eburke

        But if Mrs. Burke finds out, you need to be prepared to share your palatial digs with me :-)

        • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

          ..

  • charliebravoNH

    Sean Mahoney is a guy who doesn’t like the retail politics of NH so he dumps a pile of his money on TV ads hoping everybody buys what he is peddling as well as getting enforcements from other politicians like Ted Gatsas. You don’t win in NH by buying Tv ads and relying on endorsements. You win by meeting voters and organizing volunteers. Frank Guinta has done that.

    Does anybody think Sean Mahoney is some conservative activist? No he is part of the GOP establishment. He resigned his National Committeeman position to get a cheap headline hoping to play on discontent with Michael Steele. Sean Mahoney is about as conservative as Charlie Crist and about as genuine too.

    Carol Shea Porter is no doubt salivating at the thought of going up against a arrogant millionaire like Sean Mahoney who thinks he can buy an election. That way she can say she is standing up for 99% of us. Mahoney will run the same kind of lame half baked campaign that Jeb Bradley ran twice against Shea Porter.

    Frank Guinta is a conservative who can win. He has never lost a race unlike Sean Mahoney who has never won one.

    • http://www.hickpolitics.com Dave Poff (haystack)

      don’t know if you’re a Guinta shill or just a Granite Stater who is passionate about the race…but let’s see if we can look at this through national eyes.

      Guinta has been elected every time he tries and Mahoney hasn’t…because Mahoney’s never tried.

      Guinta has been an elected official (Mayor of Manchester) for quite some time now…and Mahoney hasn’t. Of COURSE he’s seen more people in the streets and across the state. I see that you failed to mention all the upcoming events Mahoney is scheduled for where he will (as he has been) meet face to face with Granite Staters. You missed the part about the Hillsborough County GOP…and that their meeting place is in Manchester where Guinta has been Mayor…while Mahoney has been working and living in Portsmouth…yet he found the time to be an RNC committeeman for the entire state somewhere along the way.

      Guinta goes along with the establishment because they send him checks and tell him how to run his campaign…Mahoney doesn’t.

      And, by the way, if running against Steele is political opportunism, then I want me some of that-Democrats are not our only enemy in the fight to take back the country; yes men, Rinos, moderate Republicans…these guys are just as much a part of the problem as the Liberals and the Obama agenda. I’m all for replacing every Republican that has supported the insanity of the last two years. I think Guinta is a political opportunist that will caucus “right” only where it suits him, and will caucus “left” when he’s made to believe it might help get him re-elected…like all the other clowns in DC that went against their constituents the past 2 years.

      If Guinta clears, he gets my vote because he’s not Shea-Porter. Until then, I’m going with an independent minded, business experienced, volunteer-oriented person by the name of Mahoney. This is NOT American Idol,…this is the United States of America…and I want someone more interested in IT than in getting elected because it’s the next logical step in climbing the ladder of their political career.

      • charliebravoNH

        Haystack

        Sean Mahoney ran for Congress in 2002 in the GOP Primary and lost to Jeb Bradley. He spent upwards of $800,000 dollars and came in third in the Primary.

        Did you even bother to read Frank Guinta’s Statement regarding the stimulus before you decided to launch on him today.

        http://guinta2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/franks-statement-on-stimulus.html

        “Guinta goes along with the establishment because they send him checks and tell him how to run his campaign?Mahoney doesn?t.”
        How do you know that? Who is the establishment? The NRCC? According to their website they have only endorsed two candidates,none are from NH. Not even Charlie Bass. Is it big business in NH? NH is a small business state, they aren’t many big businesses headquartered here. I know one business it isn’t, Millyard Communications.

        Do you really know Sean Mahoney’s record at Millyard Communications? How many people has he laid off or fired? Does he have any tax skeletons in his closet? You can bet Carol Shea Porter will find every “poor slob” who lost his or her job at Millyard Communications and make them a TV Star. As you pick through Mayor Guinta’s public record you ought to think about that.

        Gone are the days when a good conservative like Bob Smith could run an ad like he did in 1990 against emphasizing “liberal” John Durkin and carry the day. NH has a majority undeclared voter base that demands candidates connect with them on a personal level.
        Carol Shea Porter spent $200,000 to win NH-01 in 2006 by running a grassroots campaign and connecting with voters. That is 1/4 of the $800,000 Sean Mahoney spent for the less than 20000 votes he got in the 2002 GOP Primary.

        Frank Guinta has been traveling this district and meeting with voters at open town halls since he left the Mayor’s office. Frank is a conservative who has signed the Americans for tax Reform’s taxpayer protection pledge, he made a pledge to the voters to vote for a repeal of Obamacare and to vote against wasteful spending.

        I will support the Republican Nominee for Congress even if it is Sean Mahoney. I can’t help be anything but passionate about this race. I want Carol Shea Porter going back to Rochester next January. I still believe that conservatism sells here in NH, but the days of big TV ads and endorsements are gone.

        • hamiltonfan

          For over a year everyone stood back to let Frank take his shot, what happened? Nothing, he just floundered. Now he has lost the edge and given others a shot at beating CSP.
          Where did all Franks magic money come from? NH Political report.com reported today:
          ?OK, seriously now, how was Frank Guinta able to loan his Congressional campaign $245,000 to date? Where did this money come from and how much more of it is there? Look at his personal financial disclosure form when he entered the race in May 2009 and you?ll see that he had between $106,000 to $400,000 in investments and some money in property. In June 2009 he reported loaning the campaign $20,000. But here is the thing: if he liquidated some of that investment money, wouldn?t it have shown up on his year end personal disclosure form? It didn?t. The other $225,000 in loans came this year, but Guinta is late on filing an updated disclosure form (that was due in May.) Everything could very well be on the up and up, but if anything Guinta, like most candidates and required by law, needs to fill out an updated Form B personal disclosure form. (Here is a link to the Ethics committee on the rules.) http://nhpoliticalreport.com/political-standing-for-july-16-2010/?
          He has reported loaning his campaign a 1/4 of a million dollars but does not show where in his finance disclosures that money came from. you can?t use gifts from your parents to run for federal office. Frank’s refusal to report the source of his funds lays his whole campaign open to attack from DC and NH democrats.
          He has no MoJo, he can?t think on his feet, he has never created one job in the private sector lived off the public dole since he moved to NH and now has opened his whole campaign to legal and ethical attacks. What a loser.

      • scarchin

        How about starting with the fact that that post alone disqualifies you from commenting on Guinta.

        I’ve followed him closely for the past 5 years.

        He is a consistently solid fiscal conservative who took the heat from the Teacher’s unuin and other hacks when he fought to keep a tight budget.

        He’s been going around the sate for the past year talking to voters.

        The guy gives out his freakin’ cell phone number on the radio for people to call him.

        But you wouldn’t know that because….

        the shill here is YOU.

        You’re parroting all of the nasty talking points that are starting to dribble out as Mahoney gets more desparate.

        BTW – was there anything more transparent than Gatsas’ endorsement? I think he’s got his eyes on somebody’s wallet for his next campaign.

  • Knightbrigade

    I too am new to NH. An escape from the peoples republik of mASS.

    I now have the luxury to pick a CONSERVATIVE, and then have a REAL shot at a general election win.

    I think we need a more in depth analysis of this race, because Ashooh and Bestani don’t seem too bad either. The MOST important thing is removing CSP. She must go period!

    Like most here I want the MOST CONSERVATIVE in the primary, that also is electable in the general.
    In the Senate race I like Ovide, but feel he is un-electable in the general. I still have some thinking to do, but I’m going to enjoy my first election in the land of the free….LOL

    • NHConservative0227

      As conservatives I don’t think we can fall into the trap of not voting for candidates because we don’t think they’re electable in the general. Now is the time more than ever to stand true to our principles and elect the most conservative person period.

      The people of Pa compromised by voting for the “more electable” guy in Specter and look where that got them.

      Ovide is the most conservative candidate in this race. Plus, the Demcrat opponent, in Hodes, is a very weak candidate. Ovide can beat him!

      All true conservatives need to band together to support the best constitutional conservative candidates. By uniting together we can win in November!

  • NHConservative0227

    Sorry for the repeating the same thing, but I can’t stress this enough.

    I cannot support any candidate who supported a far left, racist judge who has zero regard for the Constitution.

    That’s one of the worst possible things I can think of a GOP senator doing. Unfortunately, many in the GOP continue to disappoint us by compromising on alot of things, but it doesn’t get much worse that confirming a far left radical to the Supreme Court to be able to have a pass to do unimaginalbe damage to our country over the next 30 or so years.

    Ovide is the real conservative in this race!

    • charliebravoNH

      Up until I heard that Sotomayor position, I was supporting Ayotte. Now I am undecided. I supported Ovide in 1996 when he ran against Bill Zelliff in the GOP primary and I voted for him in the General. He lost that statewide race and we got stuck with Shaheen for 6 six years as Governor. Ovide is the weakest out of the four candidates running for Senate. He beats Hodes by 3 with 9% not sure in the latest Rasmussen poll. In past polls he was down against Hodes. Ovide is even behind Jim Bender who just a few months ago was a unknown. I met Jim Bender at the Ayotte McCain rally in Nashua in March. He was standing at the door greeting everybody all by himself with no staff or supporters nearby. I seemed like a good guy, with a lot of guts and determination without the arrogance.

      Being a former MA resident I do believe there is a huge cost to electing Democrats. We have had a Democrat in the Governor’s office for 12 out the last 14 years. This state went from a state people move to, to a state people move from.

      Conservatives winning here is hard but not impossible. You just have to stay away from the social issues. Unfortunately we have a huge voting demographic of moderate to liberal women over the age of 40 who are undeclared or Democrat. You can see that in the people getting elected here, from Shaheen to Shea Porter to Lynch and don’t forget the majority female State Senate. This is why Republicans are taking wishy washy positions on abortion and the courts in these Senate races.

      I agree with Ovide more on the issues, but I have doubts about his ability to win in November. Unless Ovide surges and he is leading Paul Hodes by 7 to 10% by the September primary I will be voting for someone else for Senate. Senator Paul Hodes in November, that is an unacceptable thought.

  • http://www.nhinsider.com/steve-mac-donald/ nhsteve

    Sean Mahoney is 83% self financed. His remaining donors are big money–all 130 of them. So as of the 6/30 filing Sean had $927,000.00; $125,000.00 from his 130 donors and 800,000.00 from his own pocket. (If it matters)

    Here’s his filing. http://query.nictusa.com/pdf/607/10931004607/10931004607.pdf#navpanes=0

    FEC page on NH CD-1
    http://fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshCandList.do?category=disH&stateName=NH&congressId=01&election_yr=2010

    I parsed it when he announced he had Tea party support. He does not. Nor has he any grass roots support. Not in donors, not in endorsements. No 9/12 support either. NH has at least 30 groups active in pro-liberty of conservative activism loosely tied to the NH Tea Party Coalition–not one of them to my knowledge supports the guy, even the people in the non-profits who can’t endorse do not support him. No Libertarians support him nor Free staters to my knowledge either–but I’ll try to confirm that last bit.

    When challenged by Skip Murphy at Granite Grok on Mahoney-camp claims of having been involved in “many” tea party events, the campaign went ballistic. We at Granite Grok endorsed Guinta but Skip was not trying to make Guinta look good, he was asking for proof as to the ‘many’ for the record. Instead of a response they more or less went to war on Skip for asking. Skip is blogging that in bits and pieces.

    Mahoney is not an outsider. He did not separate himself from the influence apparatus of the GOP he so “dramatically” left. He may not be as connected to the apparatus as Rich Ashooh who was a lobbyist for BAE, but he’s still got his Rolodex.

    Mahoney has in the past been tagged as being in favor of giving drivers licenses to illegals, (Ashooh campaign released that) and has flip flopped on immigration under pressure but is on the record on video and in print supporting a catch and release policy that sounds like amnesty.

    There is more, just go look for it.

    There are four serious candidates vying for the GOP nod. Of the four I’d pick Mahoney last. I’d go Guinta, Bestani, Ashooh, and only Mahoney if I had to becasue Carol Seiu-Porter has got to go.

    Steve Mac Donald
    nh.steve@yahoo.com

    Granite Grok
    NH Insider
    CNHT
    NHRVC
    NHTR
    NHTPC

  • http://www.nhinsider.com/steve-mac-donald/ nhsteve

    Great to have you in NH Haystack. Been a fan of your work for a while.