Local Democrats flexing their muscle

More than 60 Belknap County Democrats gathered for the grand opening of the party's campaign office at 54 Canal Street last week and to re-elect Lynn Chong of Sanbornton chairman. Chong, supported by a strong contingent from Sanbornton, topped Representative Beth Arsenault of Laconia by an unofficial tally of 32 to 24.

Chong said yesterday that she was looking forward to leading the county party in the 2008, which she called "a dynamic year." She said that the county Democrats would be working closely with the "coordinated campaign," the effort of the party to re-elect Governor John Lynch to a third term, elect former governor Jeanne Shaheen to the United States Senate and return Kathy Sgambati to the state Senate in District 4.

However, apart from rallying to the top of the ticket, Chong said that the party was seeking to capture a greater share of the county's 18 seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. In 2004, Belknap County was the most Republican of the state's ten counties. Lynch carried only two towns and one ward in Laconia, incumbent Republican Rob Boyce won re-election to the state Senate and Republicans claimed 17 of the 18 House seats, leaving Gail Morrison of Sanbornton the lone Democrat in the county delegation.

Democratic fortunes improved in 2006, when Lynch swept the county by a three-to-one margin, easily carrying every district, and Sgambati lost only one town and two wards in Laconia to win the Senate seat. But, while Morrison held her seat in Sanbornton and Democrats grabbed three of five seats in Laconia, Republicans clung to the remaining 14 seats.

This year 14 Democrats have filed and two others will mount write-in campaigns in District 1 (New Hampton) and District 2 (Sanbornton and Tilton). Except for District 5 (Alton, Barnstead, Belmont and Gilford), where six Democrats have filed for seven seats, and District 6 (Gilmanton), Democrats will contest every seat.

"With Governor Lynch's coattails and a lot of hard work, I believe we can gain a lot of ground," Chong said. She said that together with a half dozen candidates she attended a candidates' workshop in Concord last weekend, noting that the immediate priority was "yard signs and name recognition." Encouraged by the number of volunteers, Chong said that the party would be canvassing door-to-door, both in Laconia and the in the towns.

Ron Tunning, chairman of the Laconia Democratic Party, said "this year the state party is taking Belknap County seriously." At the outset of the campaign season, Democrat enjoy a significant edge over Republicans in raising funds for House candidates. The Committee to Elect House Democrats opened the season with almost $84,000 on hand, nearly three times more than the House Republican Victory PAC.

Like Chong, he said that county Democrats would join the "coordinated campaign," but added that candidates for the House would run on local issues, particularly the mismanagement of the appointment of the county sheriff and mishandling of the 2008 county budget by the Republican majority of Belknap County Convention. Ironically, Republicans Doug Lambert of Gilford and Tom Tardif of Laconia, himself a candidate for county commissioner, have been the harshest critics of the convention's conduct. "It's going to be an issue in this campaign," Tunning vowed.

Tunning said that the opening "Victory 08" office on Canal Street reflects the growing presence of the party in the county. "From now through November the office will serve as the headquarters for the party's coordinated campaign," he said, "Thereafter we plan to maintain the space to ensure we have a permanent presence in the community that extends beyond the normal election cycle." The office will initially be staffed by a full time representative of the coordinated campaign as well as field operatives from the Obama campaign. "Between now and September the office will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.," Tunning noted."Those hours will likely be extended as the fall campaign gets under way."?The prospects for Democratic candidates hinge on weaning undeclared voters from the GOP. Tunning said that he was encouraged by number of independent voters who voted Democratic in presidential primary. When the primary was held in January, voters registered as undeclared outnumbered those affiliated with either party in all ten counties. In Belknap County, 17,964 of the 41,510 registered voters, or 43-percent, were undeclared. Republicans numbered 14,464, or 35-percent, and Democrats 9,082, or 22-percent. In the presidential primary, 5,956 undeclared voters in the county, or 61-percent of the undeclared voters who voted, took a Democratic ballot compared to 3,793, or 39-percent, who took Republican ballots. ?