Contrasts… In New Hampshire's Congressional Elections

This anti-Frank Guinta ad (above) that the DCCC is running in the Manchester, Portsmouth and Rochester media markets of eastern New Hampshire is meant to show voters that Guinta is "outside New Hampshire’s mainstream." Fortunately Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter runs her own campaign and ignores the DCCC sand their messaging. This is a third-rate self-referencing ad that might work among Beltway partisans but says little to regular New Hampshire voters. As are the vast majority of DCCC expenditures, it's pretty much a waste of effort and a waste of money-- although, no doubt, it made some DCCC-connected consultants richer.

Carol Shea-Porter's own campaign is very different and very positive, emphasizing who she is and what's she's actually done. "I've never taken a dime," she explains in the campaign video below, "from DC lobbyists or corporate PACs, so you know who I stand for." That, of course, is in great contrast to Guinta but also from the DCCC and their independent attack machine.

The WMUR/UNH polls have been silly and pretty worthless this cycle. One week Shea-Porter is up a mind-boggling 48-32% over Guinta and a few weeks later, for no apparent reason outside of bad polling, Guinta's up 47-43% over Shea-Porter. The last legitimate poll was by New England College and it was too tight to call: Shea-Porter 43% and Guinta 42%. So far Shea-Porter has raised $1,073,926 and has $653,898 cash on hand. Guinta, who had a really difficult and bloody primary that he barely won spent almost all the $492,275 he's been able too run and only has $187,801 cash on hand. The Koch brothers, Rove and other right-wing operators are both expected to pour immense sums into his race. If you'd like to contribute to Carol's campaign online, you can do it on our Worthy Incumbents page.

NH-01 is a swing district, the less secure for Democrats of the two New Hampshire House seats. The PVI is R+1, while NH-02 has a PVI of D+3. Obama won both districts both times he ran, although in 2012 it was a narrow 179,148 (50%) to 173,419 (48%) win over Romney in NH-01 and a much easier than the 190,413 (54%) to 156,499 (44%) win in NH-02. Yet, Shea-Porter has been true to her word to protect seniors and working families while Ann Kuster, the congresswoman from the much safer second district has sold out completely, joining the Wall Street owned New Dems and voting with the Republicans on ugly legislation that flies in the face of everything she promised voters when they first elected her in 2012, a time when she was still making believe she was an independent-minded progressive instead of the corporate tool of the DCCC leadership she's morphed into. Last week 25 conservative Democrats from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- primarily Blue Dogs and New Dems like Kuster-- voted with the Republicans to demolish the Affordable Care Act again. Steve Israel "suggested" that "vulnerable" candidates cross the aisle and vote with the Republicans. Kuster pushed other members aside and stepped on their heads as she stampeded over the aisle. With a much less safe district, Carol Shea-Porter once again stayed true to her constituents and voted to keep the social safety net strong for working families. The contrast between her and Kuster is almost as stark as the contrast between her and Guinta!