Local Democrats Have Big Plans for Weekend

LACONIA – With primary season now officially behind us with today’s vote, the Laconia Democratic Party is gearing up its Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts for November’s elections.

“Unlike the Republicans, we didn’t have a lot of contested primary races,” observed Laconia Democratic Party Chair Beth Arsenault. “That’s afforded us an opportunity to begin early our strategy for turning out the vote in November.”

This Saturday local Democrats will be conducting their first door-to-door canvass, with volunteers gathering at Arsenault’s house on Cottonwood Avenue. “We’re planning on two waves of canvassers, one hitting the streets at 11 a.m. followed by another group at 2 p.m.,” Arsenault indicated. “We’re excited that NH House Speaker Teri Norelli will be participating – going door to door with other volunteers.”

Following the afternoon of face-to-face meetings with voters, volunteers and other party activists will join together for a Harvest Cookoff at the Leavitt Park clubhouse beginning at 5 p.m.

“We’re inviting people who can’t participate in the canvass to share with volunteers their favorite fall dishes,” Arsenault explained. “This is the time of year when the aroma of fresh applesauce and apple pie, great stews and soups, and of course countless pumpkin recipes fill New Hampshire kitchens, and we expect many to be shared and sampled.”

For those volunteers participating in the canvass, Arsenault has promised to bake fresh apple pies for the ones who knocked on the most doors and collected from residents the most pledges to vote. “We’re confident that when people look at the issues and where the two parties stand, the majority will vote Democratic,” Arsenault said. “In the four short years that Democrats have had control of state government they’ve tackled the education funding crisis, they’ve balanced the budget during extraordinarily tough economic times, and they’ve managed to preserve the safety net for the most needy while at the same time creating opportunities for businesses to flourish.”

The local Democratic Party has endorsed five candidates for the NH House, including incumbents Arsenault and Richard Stuart, as well as Ed Allard, David Stamps and Maureen Baxley.

“We’re really fortunate to have so many well qualified, dedicated individuals willing to represent Laconia,” Arsneault said. “As voters get to know them better over the next couple of months, I expect they’ll be as enamored of the group as I am.”

The local party will also be heavily engaged in turning out the vote for NH Senate candidate Andrew Hosmer, the re-election of Governor John Lynch, the re-election of Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter and the election of Paul Hodes as the next U.S. Senator.

Anyone wishing to volunteer or to participate in the Canvassing should contact Beth Arsenault at 528-1727. For those interested in contributing to the Harvest Cookoff, contact Judie Reever at 525-2644 or Jane Wood at 528-2119.

“The more people we have, the merrier,” Arsenault insisted.