The New Hampshire State House of Representatives race in the predominantly Democratic Hanover-Lyme district looks to be somewhat more interesting than it has been in years past, as two Dartmouth Republicans have thrown their hats in the ring.
Jesse Roisin '05 and Katherine Racicot '06, who are both active members of the College Republicans, have decided to run for seats in the State House. General contractor Tom Toner of Lyme will also appear on the ballot as a Republican.
A primary will be held on Sept. 1 to determine the Democratic candidates. Five Democratic hopefuls -- incumbent state representatives Sharon Nordgren, Bernie Benn, Hilda Sokol and Estelle Diamond of Hanover and Ruth Bleyler of Lyme -- will also be vying for the four spots on the ballot.
Despite the fact that Hanover and Lyme voters have not elected a Republican representative since 1982, Roisin and Racicot are still hopeful. "We'll see what happens," Roisin said. "We're always hopeful."
Roisin and Racicot have already attended a local NRA meeting and they plan on making appearances at local fairs and parades.
Both candidates also expressed intent to campaign on campus, as they hope to appeal to students and address student interests. Roisin was critical of his Democratic opponents attentiveness to student needs.
"They're all older people, and the impression I get is that they're really not in tune with the students," Roisin said. "Katie and I are trying to represent the students and what the students want."
They plan to address "issues of personal freedom," Roisin said. He cited New Hampshire's newly instated internal possession by consumption law as one of those issues.
Roisin and Racicot expect to see some student voters cross party lines, especially given the state's same day voter registration policy and its swing-state status in the Presidential election.
"It's surprising, the support we're getting," Racicot said. "Even some of our liberal friends are saying they'll vote for us." The duo also hopes to get some professors involved and excited about their campaign, Racicot said.
Roisin, who is the former president of the College Republicans, and Racicot, who is serving as the organization's summer vice president, also hope that their campaign will energize the conservative organization and garner support for the President Bush and the Republican party. "We're obviously not going to monopolize the attention," Roisin said.
Roisin and Racicot decided to run after attending the Grafton County Republicans meeting a few weeks ago, where they learned that no one was planning on running for any of the four seats. They had initially hoped to establish an all student ticket, Racicot said, but she and Roisin were the only two potential candidates who met New Hampshire's residency requirements.
Racicot, who is not related to former Montana governor and National Chairman of the Committee to Re-elect President Bush Mark Racicot, is a native of Sanborton, N.H and Roisin hails from Croydon, N.H.
Roisin has recently begun to develop political aspirations. "Politics is something that fascinates me," he said.
While Racicot said that she "definitely enjoys politics," she plans on attending medical school after Dartmouth.
