Roberta Brunelle walked laps around the gym at the Concord Community Center as she weighed who she’ll vote for in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s second congressional district.

Brunelle, who grew up and lives in Concord, plans to support Maggie Tamposi Goodlander, impressed by her extensive resume in the federal government. While she said it matters that a representative knows the state well, she doesn’t hold it against the Nashua native for branching out of New Hampshire to serve on a national level.

She also thinks Goodlander’s opponent, Colin Van Ostern – a fellow Concord resident – has lived here long enough to avoid being considered an outsider, but she hasn’t seen him be very active recently. After a failed bid in 2018 to become New Hampshire’s Secretary of State – a position chosen by state lawmakers, not the general public – he stepped out of public office and worked for a venture capital firm from 2019 to 2023.

Goodlander and Van Ostern agree on a vast range of policy issues, meaning voters like Brunelle are tasked with weighing their different experiences, skill sets and roots in New Hampshire.

The Monitor went to hubs from both candidates’ hometowns – the community center and public library in Concord, and the Riverwalk Bakery & Cafe in Nashua – to ask what voters think about each candidate’s position on the issues and their background in New Hampshire.

Van Ostern supporters said they appreciate his community involvement and local record of service. Those who plan to vote for Goodlander say that within reason, the amount of time someone’s lived in the state isn’t a priority – they’re more impressed by her connections and experience outside the state.

Goodlander is a fourth-generation Granite Stater, born and raised in Nashua. She served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, as a foreign policy adviser for the U.S. Senate, as a law clerk for the Supreme Court, as counsel on the first impeachment of former president Donald Trump and as deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice. She’s also returned to New Hampshire at times to practice law in the state and teach constitutional law at Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire.

Her mother, Betty Tamposi, served as a Republican state representative and the family name is well-known in Nashua and New Hampshire politics. Goodlander is married to national security adviser Jake Sullivan but uses her father’s surname. She left her most recent job as a senior adviser at the White House, where she led President Joe Biden’s Unity Agenda, to run for Congress in New Hampshire.

Colin Van Ostern moved to New Hampshire in 2001. He was born in California as Kevin Colin O’Loughlin and began using his stepfather’s surname, Van Ostern, when he was in high school. He legally changed his name to Colin Van Ostern in 2012. He and his wife Kristyn raise their two children in Concord.

Prior to running for Congress, Van Ostern helped run Manchester-based venture capital firm Alumni Ventures. He also worked in marketing and workforce solutions for Southern New Hampshire University and as a brand manager for the well-known Stonyfield company, based in Londonderry. He was elected to serve two terms on the governor’s executive council, from 2013 to 2017; he ran for governor in 2016 but lost to Chris Sununu, who remained in that office ever since.

Van Ostern has recently lobbed attacks at Goodlander for having left New Hampshire for a career in Washington, D.C., while emphasizing that he’s spent the past 22 years living and working in the Granite State. He argues that to do a good job representing New Hampshire, someone should spend much of their time here.

“Understanding our lives is not a birthright. It is not something you are born into,” Van Ostern said. “Fighting for the people of New Hampshire is not something that you learn in elementary school or that you do on nights and weekends. It’s what you spend your life doing, and it takes deep work in our communities, our nonprofits, our private sector businesses, in local elected office and the breadth of all of that to be able to represent us.”

Goodlander has not pursued any counter attack against Van Ostern in interviews or public events. She told the Monitor she’s focused more on policy issues. She continues to emphasize her family’s multiple generations in New Hampshire and says it’s the place that made her who she is today. She believes she’s served her state by working in the Navy and in the federal government – for example, she said, tackling issues like the opioid and mental health crises in her previous role on a national level was part of her service to New Hampshire.

“What brought me to public service and to working in these jobs was the opportunity to work on issues that matter for New Hampshire. I think these are New Hampshire’s fights,” Goodlander said. “I come to this race with a deep love and passion for this state and this district and a complete commitment to fighting and delivering for this district on day one.”

Several voters, including Jewett O’Connor of Concord and John Vins of Nashua, said they think Goodlander has the Washington experience necessary to serve in Congress. O’Connor said whether she’s lived out of the state hasn’t occurred to him, nor does it affect his choice.

“Policies matter more than long-term residence,” he said.

Just like Goodlander supporters don’t mind her work outside New Hampshire, those leaning toward Van Ostern cite his work here and don’t see him as an outsider.

Alicia Gregg, a state representative from Nashua who’s completing her first term and running for reelection, endorsed Van Ostern in June. While Goodlander has been very “adept” in her federal roles and can speak to Nashua issues, she said she believes Van Ostern is more invested in the state as a whole. New Hampshire, especially, is a very particular kind of place, and she thinks a representative should have local context.

“It’s much harder to learn the culture of the area you’re representing than it is to learn a job,” Gregg said.

Cathy Mayo, a retired state library employee in Concord, agreed – she intends to vote for Van Ostern because she believes he’s been more involved in the state than his opponent. She wants someone who’s been here and “knows what’s going on.”

Despite her time away from the state, Goodlander said she feels she’s in tune to what Granite Staters need. She referenced daily conversations on the campaign trail that reinforce the key issues on her platform: things like lowering costs, tackling the mental health and opioid crises, and holding corporate institutions accountable.

Differences in their backgrounds aside, the candidates stand together on most issues, including abortion access, affordable housing and LGBTQ+ issues.

David Corriveau, a 67-year-old from Lebanon, remained conflicted. He’d leaned toward voting for Van Ostern, but in the days since hearing Goodlander’s experience in federal government when he attended a forum at Dartmouth College, he says the “needle has ticked slightly” toward her.

“Constituent service is important to me, but a wider view of the world is also important,” said Corriveau.

He was wowed by Goodlander’s big-picture experience and political connections, but he’s also a fan of constituent service, which he viewed as Van Ostern’s greatest strength.

Corriveau said he was inclined to favor Goodlander – but wait another few days, and that could change.

“I don’t think we can go wrong with either one,” he said.

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America.