Polls in New Hampshire and throughout the country open this morning, marking the end of a contentious 2010 midterm election season. In a reflection of President Barack Obama's fall in popularity across the country, Republican candidates have strong poll numbers heading into the elections, and are expected to gain at least one of New Hampshire's two House Seats, both of which are currently held by Democrats. While incumbent Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., seems slated to secure a unprecedented fourth term, poll numbers show that the Senate seat vacated by Republican Sen. Judd Gregg will likely be filled by another Republican.
Polls are open in Grafton County from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the N.H. Department of State.
Senate
Kelly Ayotte, the state's former attorney general, is the Republican Party's choice to replace Gregg. Her opponent is Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes '72, who currently represents New Hampshire's 2nd district in the House, but who is vacating the seat at the end of this term.
Both candidates have established platforms based on fiscal responsibility and reduced federal spending. Hodes voted against Obama's 2009 Stimulus Bill, and Ayotte opposes the bill's spending, according to their campaign websites.
Ayotte has also emphasized her social conservatism on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and climate change. She opposes Obama's health care reform bill, which Hodes supported.
As of Monday night, Ayotte led Hodes by 15 percentage points, according to Rasmussen Reports. The New York Times projected her to receive 55.1 percent of the vote for the seat.
House of Representatives
College alumni face off in the tight race to replace Hodes in New Hampshire's 2nd District, where Republican Charlie Bass '74 a former House representative who lost his seat in 2006 faces Democrat Ann McLane Kuster '78.
Kuster has highlighted the importance of job creation, affordable health care and a need to end the Iraq war, according to her campaign website.
Bass's moderately conservative platform also emphasizes the need to create jobs, but state that this must occur through indirect government intervention, according to his campaign website. He also takes a stand on domestic issues including retirement security, protection of senior citizens from Medicare and illegal immigration.
Although voters in the 2nd District have previously favored Democratic candidates, this year's race is a toss-up as Kuster has only a slight lead, according to The Times.
Incumbent Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., will face Republican candidate Frank Guinta in the race to represent New Hampshire's 1st District in the House. Rasmussen Reports showed Guinta leading the race by 7 percentage points on Monday night, and he is estimated to receive 54.2 percent of the district's votes, according to The Times.
Shea-Porter has traditionally voted along Democratic Party lines, as, according to her campaign website, she has voted in favor of Obama's health care bill, stimulus package and energy bill. Shea-Porter's opponent has compared her to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and labeled her "a proud advocate for bigger government," according to The Times.
Guinta has created a platform based on his goal to "lower your taxes and rein in government spending" and emphasizes the importance of small businesses, according to his campaign website.
Gubernatorial Election
Incumbent Gov. Lynch, up for reelection for an unprecedented fourth term, is running against former government solutions consultant John Stephen in the only N.H. race this fall where the Democratic candidate holds a sizable lead.
Lynch's main goals are to foster the growth of businesses in New Hampshire and to create jobs while maintaining the "second-lowest state taxes in the nation," according to his campaign website.
Stephen has built a platform around his "First in the Nation" plan, which also focuses on job creation and the reduction of statewide spending, according to his campaign website.
Lynch leads Stephen by 9.4 percentage points, according to Rasmussen, and is projected to win 54.3 percent of the N.H. votes, according to The Times.
