The Monitor recently did a nice job detailing the differences between candidates Colin Van Ostern and Maggie Goodlander. While both candidates have solid credentials, I would give the edge to Goodlander, who was born, raised and lives in Nashua, while Van Ostern came to NH 23 years ago, having been born in Carlsbad, CA and living in a number of states before residing here. While Goodlander has yet to run a campaign for an elected position in NH, Van Ostern has had a weak record in races he ran in, losing to Sununu in the 2016 governor’s race and to Bill Gardner in the 2018 NH Secretary of State race. His only win was capturing a seat on the Executive Council.

Van Ostern points out that in the race for governor he won the vote in the second district. However, the district is strongly Democratic and would have gone to virtually anyone who represented the Democratic party. Mr. Van Ostern most recently served as an aide to Rep. Kuster and has been endorsed by her. However, he has virtually no experience or inside track at the federal level and would be spending his first year learning the ropes. Goodlander’s federal resume is very impressive, as are her connections to NH: member of the NH Women’s Foundation; member of NH Legal Assistance. She comes into the federal position battle-ready and closely tied to her home state. My sense is that Goodlander gives us a better choice to navigate the difficult D.C. landscape and provide NH with a strong voice at the federal level.

Chuck Annal

Concord