NRCC MEMO: NEW ENGLAND PRIMARY RESULTS

TO: INTERESTED PARTIES
FROM: NRCC POLITICAL AND NRCC COMMUNICATIONS
DATE: SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
SUBJECT: NEW ENGLAND PRIMARY RESULTS

Tonight’s primary results are an indication of a Republican resurgence happening throughout the northeast and New England states. Once dismissed as a regional party, Republican candidates have made significant inroads in some of the bluest of states, building formidable campaigns and touting a message of fiscal responsibility, lower taxes and less government. That platform was tested with Senator Scott Brown’s resounding victory over Democrat candidate Martha Coakly in the January 2010 Special Election. Brown’s victory sent a loud and clear message that the American people categorically reject the Democrats’ partisan agenda of government-run healthcare and a failed trillion-dollar stimulus. As New England Republican candidates continue to build momentum, there will be plenty of opportunity for GOP pickups.

MASSACHUSSETTS

MA-10 (Rep. Bill Delahunt, D)

After 14 years of representing Massachusetts’ 10th Congressional District, Bill Delahunt announced his retirement this year. Although this South Shore-Cape Cod district historically leans left, recent GOP success on the statewide level gives Republicans encouragement in what has become an increasingly toxic political environment for Democrats. For proof of the GOP’s opportunity here, look no further than Scott Brown’s 60 percent win in this district on the way to his Special Election victory in January 2010. Brown’s landslide here was no mistake, with voters turning out in droves in hopes of turning the page on Washington’s out-of-touch failed economic experiment. After Democrats hit struggling middle-class families with additional taxes and racked up the nation’s debt, voters will not be looking to carry on Delahunt’s tax-and-spend legacy in November.

Tonight’s Republican primary winner, Jeff Perry, is proudly serving his fourth term as a Massachusetts State Representative for the Fifth Barnstable District, where he served alongside his friend and now United States Senator Scott Brown. In addition to representing the Barnstable District, Perry is a partner at the law firm of Flannigan and Perry P.C., having earned his Juris Doctorate Degree from the New England School of Law where he was presented with the prestigious Dean Timothy J.Cronin, Jr. Award for his outstanding public service. In addition to his work as an attorney, Perry teaches at Cape Cod Community College.

Jeff Perry will face Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating. Keating graduated from Boston College and went on to serve in the State House. Keating is a strong supporter of the costly multibillion-dollar Cape Wind contract. Just like Delahunt, Keating is a radical Democrat who would put his party’s interests above what his constituents want. His record on tax hikes and big spending is the epitome of what voters overwhelmingly rejected by electing Republican Scott Brown with 60 percent of the vote.

History: The 10th District is the least Democratic in the state. The district has a Partisan Voting Index of D+5, but Delahunt’s retirement puts this seat in play.

Geography: Massachusetts’s 10th Congressional District includes parts of the South Shore and all of Cape Cod and the islands.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Challengers:

NH-01 (Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D)

In the New England district where Obama received his lowest performance – receiving just 53 percent of the vote – Carol Shea-Porter has proven time and time again that her far-left liberal ideology puts her squarely at odds with New Hampshire’s First Congressional District. In a time of economic hardship for middle-class families, Shea-Porter has blindly supported her party’s failed economic agenda 98.7 percent of the time. Shea-Porter barely won in 2008 during one of the best political climates for Democrats in decades, taking only 52 percent of the vote. Now, in this statistically even district according the Cook Political Report, Shea-Porter will face a strong challenge from Frank Guinta in a political toxic environment for her out-of-touch majority.

Republican challenger and tonight’s primary winner, Frank Guinta has served Manchester for the better part of a decade – first as a member of the state legislature and then as mayor – and is well qualified to tap into the First District’s political base. Guinta received his bachelors degree from Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and his masters degree in Intellectual Property from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord.

Carol Shea-Porters’ blind partisanship has put this district in play and has opened the door for Frank Guinta, who is ready to put this seat in the Republican column this fall.

History: New Hampshire’s First Congressional District is one of nine districts across the country labeled as statistically even. Parts of the district like the smaller towns on the Seacoast and to the north are heavily Republican, whereas Portsmouth tends to be heavily Democratic. Manchester – the district’s largest district – tends to vote Republican as well. President George W. Bush won this district twice, and President Obama picked up a meager 53 percent in comparison to the rest of the New England states.

Geography: The district is comprised of the Manchester area, the Seacoast and the Lakes Region.

NH-02 (Rep. Paul Hodes, D)

Retiring Representative Paul Hodes was elected in 2006, thanks in large part to a favorable political climate for Democrats. As a representative, Hodes supported his party’s failed trillion-dollar stimulus and healthcare law, voting with his party 94.7 percent. Hodes decided to run for United States Senate to fill the seat of retiring Senator Judd Gregg.

Republican candidate and tonight’s primary winner is Charlie Bass, who previously held the seat prior Hodes. In 2010, however, New Hampshire families have had enough of the Democrats’ tax-and-spend ways. Bass has a proven record of fighting for policies that create jobs, cut excessive government spending and promote alternative energies. His work and high ethical integrity earned him the respect of colleagues and constituents on both sides of the aisle. Bass understands the financial burdens that many small businesses face today – including high tax rates and skyrocketing insurance costs – because he spent years as a successful entrepreneur in New Hampshire. In addition to being a public servant, Bass currently serves as a senior advisor to Laidlaw Energy Group and on the Board of Managers at New England Wood Pallet in Jeffrey.

Republican Charlie Bass will take on Ann McLane Kuster, who is a card-carrying liberal and long-time party activist that comes from a notable political family. Having graduated from Dartmouth College in 1978 with a degree in Environmental Policy and Georgetown Law in 1984, she now serves as a partner at the law firm Rath, Young and Pignatelli. She’s throwing her hat in the ring this November in hopes of going down to Washington to provide strong, unwavering support for the Obama-Pelosi agenda. Kuster believes that the Democrats’ government healthcare takeover – which a majority of Americans don’t support – didn’t go far enough. Kuster’s misguided views and passion for big government policies would be detrimental to New Hampshire, especially with today’s struggling economy.

History. John Kerry carried the district in 2004 and Obama picked it up by a decisive 13 percentage points. It has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+3.

Geography. The Second Congressional District includes Concord (the capital), Nashua, Salem, Keene, counties along the Connecticut River, and the Dixville Notch, where the town’s small population cast their ballots just past midnight and provide the first reported returns in every presidential election. The Bretton Woods resort is also included in this district and is where the world monetary system was established in 1944.

RHODE ISLAND

RI-01 (Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D)

When longtime Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy announced his retirement in February, Rhode Islanders were presented with an opportunity to steer their state in a new direction. Coming just weeks after Senator Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts, Kennedy’s retirement provided even further evidence that 2010 would not be a normal year for New England Democrats.

The open seat created a free-for-all as the fractured Rhode Island Democrats were unable to clear the primary field for a preferred candidate. Democratic Party Chairman Bill Lynch and Providence Mayor David Cicilline jumped into the race early, ensuring that there would be no free ride during the primary campaign for the eventual nominee. State Rep. David Segal and businessman Anthony Gemma further crowded the field and began swinging away at their Democrat opponents.

The last man standing was Cicilline, who carries considerable baggage with him into the general election campaign. He’s proven to be a typical tax-and-spend politician who can’t be trusted to guard taxpayer money. Over the summer, Cicilline proposed $50 million in unfunded borrowing to pay for the city’s huge budget shortfall and he allowed a massive tax levy to pass into law despite empty campaign promises to veto the legislation. Just last week, Cicilline admitted to padding his mayoral salary with thousands of dollars that he must now pay back to the city of Providence.

Cicilline will face Republican John Loughlin, whose message of fiscal responsibility played a large role in driving Kennedy toward retirement earlier this year. Loughlin is a veteran of the Rhode Island National Guard and Army Reserve, a small business owner, and the Minority Whip in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Loughlin has earned a reputation as a candidate who is as dedicated to the campaign trail as he is to his common-sense Rhode Island values. Loughlin’s hard work and potent message give Republicans another opportunity to be competitive in one of the country’s bluest states.

History: Patrick Kennedy has represented Rhode Island’s First District for eight terms after being elected in 1994. Before that, Republican Rep. Ron Machtley held the seat for three terms. The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district D+13.

Geography: Rhode Island’s First District comprises the state’s northern and eastern portions. It includes Newport, Bristol, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and a large portion of Providence.

Election Results:

The following are the unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary election. These results are UNOFFICIAL AND INCOMPLETE until certified by the New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Secretaries of State.
*Denotes winner

MA-05 (R)
Jon Golnik 38.6%*
Sam Meas 25.8%
Tom Weaver 20.8 %
Bob Shapiro 14.8%

MA-10 (R)
Jeff Perry 61.9%*
Joe Malone 29.4%
Robert Hayden 4.6%
Ray Kasperowicz 4.1%

MA-10 (D)
Bill Keating 50.7%*
Rob O’Leary 49.3%

NH-01 (R)
Frank Guinta 32%*
Rich Ashooh 28.2%
Sean Mahoney 27.5%
Bob Bestani 7.6%

NH-02 (R)
Charlie Bass 42.7%*
Jennifer Horn 35.2%
Bob Giuda 17.6%

NH-02 (D)
Ann Kuster 70.8%*
Katrina Swett 29.2%

RI-01 (R)
John Loughlin 83.3%*
Kara Russo 16.7%

RI-01 (D)
David Cicilline 37.2%*
Anthony Gemma 23.1
David Segal 20.1%
Bill Lynch 19.6%

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