The Democratic Party is not so democratic, says Katy Forry, a Democratic candidate for governor.

Challenging uber-popular incumbent John Lynch is a tough business for anyone, but Forry, a retired teacher from Jaffrey running on an anti-Pledge platform, says it's tougher still when her party won't give her a fair shake.

Forry's problem: The party hasn't let her leave signs or literature at the Peterborough regional headquarters. Also, she says, party Chairman Ray Buckley wouldn't introduce her along with the other candidates at the office's grand opening. (She raised her hand, stood up and introduced herself, she says.)

"I've been told six ways from Sunday that I can't put my signs there. . . . It's not fair, according to Democratic bylaws, to take sides in a primary," said Forry. "They just really seriously don't want to acknowledge that I'm asking questions."

Coordinated campaign chief Colin Van Ostern says there isn't a full-on rulebook for who can do what in which office, but that Forry can leave materials in the office. "She's more than welcome to leave literature in the Peterborough office," he said. "I don't know what the confusion is exactly, but she's welcome to leave literature."

Forry said she's had different treatment in different offices: In Milford, she was invited to bring things. In Keene, she was allowed to bring in signs, but not to post them on the wall with the other candidates. But Peterborough really bothered her because her contributions as a Jaffrey Democrat helped pay for that office.

Now, she says, she's going to put Forry signs up. "I'm going to hang them up, as many as Lynch has," she said. "They picked on the wrong woman."

Mum's the word

If Fergus Cullen gets his way, he won't get a vote at the Republican convention.

At present, New Hampshire's 24-member delegation to Minneapolis will get only half its votes because the date of the primaries violated party rules. As party chairman, Cullen is among the first off the list.

"So if we fight on this point, we will lose the fight, and we may contribute to losing the war, which is protecting and preserving the first-in-the-nation primary," Cullen said.

Here's his logic: The "overwhelming majority" of national committee members support stripping all states that held primaries before the official window opened, on Feb. 5, 2008. It's not worth it, he argues, for New Hampshire to antagonize them. Michigan, Florida, South Carolina and Wyoming all share New Hampshire's boat.

Getting convention votes is secondary to the effort to preserve the primary, he said.

Money returned

On the heels of Sen. Ted Stevens's indictment, John Sununu's campaign announced that he would be donating the $10,000 it got from Stevens's Northern Lights PAC to charity. No word on what became of the $2,500 both Sununu and Judd Gregg donated to Stevens last year through their leadership PACs.

Single page