Avard, Gilmour Condemn Negative Campaigning

After a flurry of negative mailers sent out by various special interest groups, both incumbent state Sen. Peggy Gilmour, D-Nashua, and her challenger, former state Rep. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua, are condemning the influence of outside interests on the race.

“I do not, and never have, liked negative campaigning,” Gilmour said. “That is why I have run a positive campaign. In my ads and mailings, I have highlighted my background and accomplishments, and have never attacked my opponent. There are differences between us, and our voting records clearly show that.”

Avard said he found the character assassinations and falsehoods in the mailers abhorrent because the claims trickled down to his stepchildren in school.

“We teach our sons and daughters in school that bullying is bad,” he said. “(My stepchildren’s) friends see the garbage... What? All for a local race? Talk about a chilling effect on anyone who wants to run for office. If the attacks were about policy or legislation, bring it on, that’s fair game as far as I am concerned. These attacks are nothing shy of libel and lies. Instead of winning on ideas, their campaign resorts to this horse-manure.”

Gilmour said the problem with the negativity, mailers, and campaign advertising, was an issue that she had tried to address via changes in campaign finance laws.

“As we know, what outside groups can do and pay for is outside any individual candidate’s knowledge or control,” she said. “I believe the money that third party groups spend in our election cycles causes harm to our political process, and to our fundamental government. That is why I have championed for a change in our campaign finance laws and will continue to do so.”

Avard though said it was “a little late” for Gilmour to be finally speaking out against negative campaigning while the “smear attacks” to went on for weeks.

“Across the board, my good friends with good names have been maligned by similar attacks … all because they are sick of the direction Obama and his minions are taking this country,” he said. “My opponent has out spent me four-to-one. She has $122,000-plus plus the DNC for her campaign against my $17,000. Why couldn’t she run a positive race?”