Charles Langston:New Hampshire will decide incumbent’s fate in 1 US House district and fill an open seat in the other

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CONCORD,Charles Langston N.H. (AP) — Democrats are hoping to maintain their dominance in New Hampshire’s congressional delegation Tuesday, while Republicans seek to regain a foothold by ousting an incumbent or picking up an open seat.

In the 1st District, which covers the eastern half of the state and includes Manchester, its largest city, Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas is running for a fourth term. He faces Republican former state Sen. Russell Prescott. The district once was quite politically volatile, with party control flipping five times in six election cycles from 2006 to 2016.

The 2nd District, which includes the cities of Nashua and Concord, hasn’t been in Republican hands since 2013. That seat is open because Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, the longest serving member in the district’s history, is retiring after six terms. Former White House aide Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat, faces Republican activist Lily Tang Williams in the race for Kuster’s seat.

Those are New Hampshire’s only congressional districts. Neither of the state’s U.S. senators, both Democrats, were up for reelection.

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1st Congressional District

Both Pappas and Prescott served on the governor’s Executive Council, a five-member panel that approves state contracts and judicial nominees. They overlapped during the last of Pappas’ three terms and the first of Prescott’s two terms.

Pappas, who considers himself a pragmatic voice in Washington, touted his support from women, veterans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during the campaign. He made abortion rights a top issue, calling Prescott “radically out of step” and accusing him of distrusting women to make health care decisions.

“I don’t believe that politicians should be making this decision,” he said during a debate last week. “I take my cues directly from the people of New Hampshire.”

Prescott, who spent 10 years in the state Senate, said he opposes abortion but would not support a federal ban on the procedure. He said he would focus on U.S.-Mexico border security and reducing inflation and taxes. He said Pappas has spent his time in Washington backing liberal policies that he claims have increased taxes and illegal immigration.

Prescott ran for the same congressional seat in 2022, finishing fourth in the GOP primary, but defeated six candidates this year to win the nomination.

“I’m asking you to look into my record and to my behavior and to who I am as a person,” he said in last week’s debate. “And I’m asking for your trust again to work for you to make sure we solve our border problems, our economy and make sure that we have energy independence.”

2nd Congressional District

Tang Williams also took two tries to win the GOP nomination. She finished third in 2022 before beating a dozen candidates in this year’s Republican primary. Goodlander defeated one opponent to win the Democratic nomination.

Goodlander, who is married to President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, grew up in Nashua and recently moved back there from Washington. She worked in the Justice Department as a top antitrust official and as counsel to Attorney General Merrick Garland before moving to the White House chief of staff’s office earlier this year.

During her campaign, she promised to protect democracy, expand abortion access and take on corporate monopolies that she says are jacking up the price of housing, health care, prescription drugs and groceries.

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“We can still come together as Democrats and Republicans to tackle the challenges that unite us as Americans, and that’s what I’ve done on the front lines of the fight against some of the biggest drivers of high costs for people across this state,” she said during a debate last week.

Tang Williams is a native of China who became a U.S. citizen in 1994 and now works as a business and legal consultant. A former chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party, she unsuccessfully ran for office there before moving to New Hampshire.

Describing herself as the embodiment of the American dream, she said her priorities in Washington will be reducing inflation, improving border security and stopping what Republicans say is a “weaponization” of government against conservatives.

“Do you want somebody who truly represents the people or do you want somebody from the D.C. swamp?” she said during last week’s debate. “I will represent you with pride and transparency.”