Our objective for the November 2010 election was "To Be Heard". And the voters spoke loudly and clearly that the "change" of the previous two years was unacceptable. The voters wanted "change for the better".
After achieving our objective in the November 2010 election, our elected officials made good on their campaign promises of limited government, personal responsibility, and lower taxes. Despite this, in November 2012, the "pendulum" swung back in the other direction. The majority in the State House went to the Democrats, while Republicans in the State Senate hung on with a narrow majority. And, our Republican Congressmen lost to their Democrat opponents, as did our Republican candidate for Governor. On a positive note, the results in Belknap County were better than might've been expected; 13 of the 18 State Representative seats were won by Republicans, while 2 of 3 State Senate seats were won by Republicans. In Barnstead/Alton/Gilmanton, all 4 House seats and the one Senate seat went to Republicans.
At this point, we now look towards the November 2014 election. We must clearly identify the reasons for the outcome of the 2012 election, make adjustments in our strategy and our messaging, and move forward. Our State Representatives are doing all they can to keep county taxes as low as possible. Some of our current representatives will decide to run for re-election in 2014 while others will not. For those seats that open up, we'll need candidates who will support Republican principles of limited government, personal responsibility, and low taxes, while at the same time appealing to a broad cross-section of the electorate.
