UNH political scientist: State could see power shiftBy Jason Claffey
jclaffey@fosters.com
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
LINK(excerpt)
DOVER — Last week's filing deadline for state offices produced a massive field of Republican candidates that one political expert said could spell the end of the Democrats' control of the Legislature.
Democrats now hold a 220-176 majority in the House and a 14-10 edge in the Senate. They have owned the balance of power since 2006, when Democrats took over both bodies for the first time since 1874.
That streak is in danger, said Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire.
The retirement of Sens. Harold Janeway, D-Webster, and Kathleen Sgambati, D-Tilton, has left Senate Districts 4 and 7 wide open. Reps. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, and Marjorie Smith, D-Durham, also announced they are retiring, though they come from fiercely Democratic communities.
There are more Republican candidates heading into the Sept. 14 primary, which could signal a strong interest in the Nov. 2 election among GOP voters. The Maine primary earlier this month featured more Republican candidates and drew the largest number of GOP voters since 1952.
In New Hampshire, Senate Districts 2 and 4 feature several Republicans running for the nomination, while only District 21 is contested on the Democratic side. In the House races, there are about 350 Republican candidates, compared to about 250 Democrats.
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Gotta love Buckey's spin, the little pole smoker. Let's hope this is a trend being seen in a LOT of other states. Remember, this election is incredibly important in ALL states this year because of Census redistricting.
