Linda Rae Banfill, Concord State Senate Candidate

Linda Rae Banfill

Age (as of Election Day)

76

Position Sought

SD 15 (Concord, Hopkinton, Henniker, Warner)

Party Affiliation

Republican Divorced.

Family

Divorced. My choice. No regrets. Share my house with a geriatric rescue feline named MacLeod who flunked hunting and hygiene but excels at catnapping.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Kennett High School, 1962
UNH, 1968, BS, Thompson School of Agriculture
Franklin Pierce College, 1989-1991, Courses in Government and Constitutional Law

Occupation

Telephone Operator, Ma Bell, 1960-1975 (Part time), Conway, NH
School Teacher, Gorham High School, Gorham, NH, 1990-1991
Personal Lines Representative, NH Insurance, Manchester, NH, 1977
Newsroom Clerk 1977-1979; Administrative Assistant to Publisher of Concord Monitor and Department Heads, 1980-1989.
Legal Secretary, Thornton & Thornton, Manchester, NH, 1989-1990
Temp, Manpower, Concord, 1990-1994
Administrative Assistant to three Partners who did consulting in the healthcare field, Helms & Company, Concord, 1995-2004
Temped at Manpower, did cleaning at night, and worked at NH Motor Speedway
Retired, 2014

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

None

Why are you seeking elective office?

Politics has been a passion in my family. Have lived in Concord since 1977 and have worked on campaigns on both sides of the aisle. Since I am now the "Spirit of 76," it's now my turn to become a public servant.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The economy. Work with Senators on both sides of the aisle to support a balanced budget that will benefit the citizens of the Granite State. I am a make do and mender, not a tax and spender. Do not think throwing money at issues is always the answer. Creativity and frugality will always get my support.i am New Hampshire

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My roots run deep in the Granite State. My ancestors came here before in the 1600s. Worked hard to make this state the showpiece that is today. John Langdon fought in the French and Indian War, took the surrender of Fort William and Mary, fought in the American Revolution, spied for General Washington as did the Townsends, signed the Constitution of the United States, swore George Washington in as our first President, was governor of NH for several terms. Built two ships in Portsmouth during the war of 1812 - the Raleigh which is on our Seal of State and the Ranger which was captained by a wee sailor laddy, Admiral John Paul Jones, which was the formal beginning of the US Navy. Tobias Lear served Washington during the Revolution and was left a life estate in Barbados. Lear was also sent to Libya in 1803 when the Marines were deployed to take care the pirates.
Various members of my family served in the Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, and the Gulf War.
Hers did not. She is from Alabama and thus, a carpetbagger, not a native.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Issues which I champion are:
A fiscally fair and balanced budget
First and Second Amendment rights
Pro Choice/Reproductive Freedom
Tough laws that will make drug dealers leary of doing business here
Support first responders and law enforcement by providing the tools and emotional support to ensure their physical and mental health while doing keeping us safe
Seatbelts on school buses
Helmits and fluorescent vests for bicycle riders
Helmits for motorcycle riders - their choice
Insurance for all motor vehicle drivers
Strong support for our veterans who have given so much for the freedoms we take for granted

Less is more when it comes to government. The fewer laws the better.
Stronger penalties/fines for distracted drivers and DUI drivers

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Burned two mortgages. Lived on cabbage soup for a while to help pay for the first house. Worked two jobs at times to pay for the second one. Know how to pinch pennies.
Have marched in Gettysburg six times during Remembrance Weekend, the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's reading of the Gettysburg Address, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Have marched in wind, sleet, hail, rain and snow, with bomb dogs, FBI, Homeland Security, the Bureau of Explosives, a machine gun on the roof of one of the buildings on the mile long parade route and a sniper the next year, two Pennsylvania State Troopers on horseback right behind me (I was marching at the end of the parade.), and a Parade Security Guard in a Confederate Uniform right beside me, all because Antifa sent threatening letters to The Gettysburg Times. The parade has been cancelled this year. What Antifa didn't prevent, the coronavirus did. But then, diseases killed more soldiers than bullets during that war.
I have guts and determination and see things through to the end.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Be fair.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Somewhere on the way to being the "Spirit of 76," I became the Keeper of the Flags. I have put flags on poles at some of the fire stations in Concord and Manchester.
Since last summer I have been standing in front of The Prescription Center on the corner on Center Street and North Main Street, holding flags: thin blue line, Police Lives Matter, thin red line, first responders, Marine Corps, and on 9/11, an American flagg at half staff. Fire fighters responded but the most enthusiastic wavers were the people in the car with NY plates. How quickly we forget!