Van Ostern Wins Democrat’s Straw Poll

MANCHESTER, NH – At Saturday’s New Hampshire Democratic Party state convention, Colin Van Ostern, one of five candidates seeking the nomination for governor in the Granite State, delivered a solid victory in the party straw poll.

According to the results on June 18, 2016, Van Ostern, the outgoing Executive Councilor for District 2, received 60 percent of the vote. Mark Connolly, a former state representative and businessman, earned 23 percent, and former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand got 17 percent of the support.

Van Ostern’s campaign called the straw poll “a landslide” in a press statement.

“We're proud to have earned the support of so many grassroots activists at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention,” said Pat Devney, campaign manager. “With the support of eight local labor unions, a majority of New Hampshire’s Democratic state Representatives, the mayors of some of New Hampshire’s largest cities and thousands of grassroots activists, together we’ll move keep moving New Hampshire forward.”

Forum Wednesday

A Democratic gubernatorial forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Dover on June 22, 2016, hosted by the Dover Democratic Committee and the Strafford County Democratic Committee. The event will be held at the McConnell Center Cafeteria at 61 Locust St. in Dover. Doors open at 6 p.m. Get there early though – organizers noted that there were only 100 seats available at the event.

“Designed as a forum and not a debate, this event will allow each candidate to provide information about his background and share positions on a broad range of issues and topics,” according to organizers. “Candidates will respond to questions submitted by local residents and selected to explore the issues most critical to New Hampshire.”

Moderators for the forum are Kristine Baber, the chairwoman of the Dover Democratic Committee, and Rich Leonard, a Strafford County Democratic Committee Executive Committee member.

Only three of the candidates on the ballot – Connolly, Marchand, and Van Ostern – have been invited, according to forum organizers. Two other candidates – Derek Dextraze, a writer who lives in Dover, and Ian Freeman, the radio talk show host, and former Free State Project member who ran two years ago – are on the ballot but are not being invited to participate.

When asked why all the candidates on the ballot weren’t being allowed to participate, Gene Porter, the chairman of the Strafford County Democratic Committee, in an email, said that according to the state committee, only Connolly, Van Ostern, and Marchand represent the Democratic Party in the primary.

Other candidates

The filing period recently ended and Republicans will have five candidates to choose in September from including state Rep. Frank Edelblut of Wilton, state Sen. Jeanie Forrester of Meredith, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, Jonathan Lavoie, and Executive Councilor for District 3, Chris Sununu.

Four other candidates have declared intent to run via signature collection for the general election in November. They are state Rep. Max Abramson of Seabrook, William Fortune of Rochester, radio talk show host and self-proclaimed corruption fighter Michael Gill of Derry, and Jilletta Jarvis of Sandown, a mom and training officer in the financial sector.