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New Hampshire GOP Makes Epic Comeback in 2010 Midterm Election

By DEAN DEXTER

No matter how you spin it, what happened in the 2010 midterm election, across the country, and here in New Hampshire, was an epic event. November 2 was nothing less than “Resurrection Day” for a party that only two years ago was read its Last Rites.

In the Granite State, not only the two congressional districts and the open U.S. Senate seat were handily picked up by Republicans, but the five-member governor’s council and both houses of the state legislature went Republican, with the GOP taking 19 out of 24 senate seats, and in the 400-member house, the party won an astounding 298 races. This included the defeat of such Democrat icons as Senators Martha Fuller Clarke and Maggie Hassam, and Executive Councilors Beverly Hollingsworth and Deborah Pignatelli – all from liberal-leaning districts.

Only John Stephen, the young Republican gubernatorial candidate, went down to defeat. This is significant because it means voters had to make a calculated effort while going down the Republican column, to divert over to the Democrat side to make their mark for incumbent John Lynch, who was clearly vulnerable this year. Why?

Stephen could not make the sale, for whatever reason. Phone bank people will tell you they saw it coming. Was it Stephen’s youth (read: not ready for prime time)? Was it style (urgent, intense, a little rough around the edges)? State party chair John Sununu blames the Lynch attack ads, which Stephen couldn’t seem to effectively counter, or otherwise neutralize.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch, a Democrat, wins a fourth term, over GOP challenger, John Stephen, November 2, 2010.

Having captured another term in the Corner Office, Governor John Lynch, the gentle soul, not known for his spunk and strong leadership skills, will now face a veto-proof legislature in both houses, so he will essentially be a captive of the Republican agenda. This, however, will likely not bother him much. We predict the ever smiling Mr. Lynch will ride out the next two years, the way he has for the past six: by cutting ribbons, entertaining visiting school children at the state house, and occasionally appearing on the Morning Buzz radio shows, while letting the legislature make all the hard decisions, decisions that include coming up with ways to put New Hampshire’s dreadful fiscal house in order, which collapsed on Lynch’s watch.

S’ppose if you’re going to have a figure-head for governor, John Lynch is as good as any.

Now, let’s fast rewind to winter 2009 to the ironies of ironies. Fresh from parties at the White House and news that Judd Gregg had accepted a cabinet post in the Obama Administration (huh? We still haven’t figure that one out – late, very late midlife crisis, Judd?), Second District Democrat Congressman Paul Hodes, jubilantly announces his intention to seek the open seat. Judd later backs away from the White House offer, but announces his retirement.

The sweet look of victory. Kelly Ayotte Swamps Democrat rival.

Today, that dream of a seat in the U.S. Senate is in shambles, with Hodes getting smoked by former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte to succeed Gregg by over a 105,000 vote margin. Ayotte had come out of a difficult primary unscarred, overcoming the stigma of being hand-picked for the race by “Washington GOP power brokers,” with a united party behind her.

If Obama is any friend to the luckless Hodes, there should be an ambassadorship to some exotic clime where he can serve cocktails to visiting dignitaries, while licking his wounds, before returning to New Hampshire to practice law.

Congressman Paul Hodes, actually wicked loses in a landslide...

In a perverse way, I feel sorry for defeated Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter, bested in the First District by Republican, former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta. Shea Porter has essentially remained true to her liberal ideas during her four year tenure, even as political doom creeped up on her. “I’m a liberal. I campaigned for Healthcare Reform. I believe in it,” she’d tell Tea Partiers and others at her town hall meetings, as they raised a ruckus. Maybe the President will take care of her, too. There’s still something endearing about a politician who doesn’t weasel about her record, as her career goes up in smoke.

Charlie Bass makes a comeback, regaining the First District Congressional seat.

In the Second District, Republican ex-Congressman Charlie Bass beat back a hard challenge from Concord lobbyist Ann McLane Kuster, who interestingly ran a strong campaign touting bigger government and higher taxes. Oops. Wrong year for that, although at times it looked like Bass would be in trouble. Running on a cut-spending, anti big government platform, many Republicans nevertheless were not enthused with the Bass candidacy since he was turned out office by Hodes in 2006. It’s because, always given to politically moderate tendencies, Bass still had forgotten he was supposed to be the Reagan fiscal conservative he first ran as, back in 1994. Now, his defeat and come-back appears to have made him a true believer again. Hope it sticks this time.

Dean Dexter is a former newspaperman, who has served as chairman of the Belknap County Commission, the Laconia School Board, and as a state representative from Ward 4. He now resides in Meredith and Concord.

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