Aug. 12—Democratic congressional candidate Colin Van Ostern of Concord said the fact his primary opponent, Maggie Goodlander of Nashua, last cast a ballot here in 2004 makes it “harder to represent us.”
“I think the last time she voted in this district was when George W. Bush was President. I believe it was 20 years ago. That doesn’t disqualify her right to run, but man, I think it makes it harder to represent us,” Van Ostern said as the two candidates had back-to-back appearances on WMUR’s “Close Up” program last Sunday.
Goodlander said she’s a proud member of a fourth-generation family in Nashua. She said she was representing New Hampshire’s values while she worked as a judicial, congressional, federal department of justice and Biden administration lawyer in Washington, D.C.
“Look I was born and raised here, New Hampshire has always been my home, this is the state that made me who I am,” Goodlander said.
A short time she added, “I think the work I have done; I have served our country and have served our state too in all the jobs that I have done.”
Goodlander noted in recent years she also taught constitutional law at Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
The pair are scheduled to debate Wednesday morning on the “Good Morning New Hampshire” program with Jack Heath.
Van Ostern and Goodlander are running in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary to replace Annie Kuster, the six-term incumbent who is retiring at year’s end.
Goodlander said her experiences as a woman who lost a child prior to birth help make her a better be an advocate for abortion rights and access to all reproductive services.
“I do think representation matters. For far too long we have people making laws about women’s bodies that don’t understand them,” Goodlander said.
Van Ostern said he had criticized the Democratic National Committee’s attempts to strip New Hampshire of the first primary and prevent candidates including President Joe Biden from campaigning or filing for office here.
Asked if he was aware of Biden’s cognitive difficulties, Van Ostern said, “I think I have been in the same room with the guy once in the past five years.”
Goodlander said Biden acted as an American patriot by withdrawing from the race and said she was excited by Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy.
“I think it’s high time we had a woman in the White House,” Goodlander added.
klandrigan@unionleader.com
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Publish date : 2024-08-12 11:46:00
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