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 Incumbent |  Judd Gregg(R) |
Opponent | George Condodemetraky(D) |
| Race outlook | Strong Republican |
Incumbent Sen. Judd Gregg easily won the state Republican Primary on Sept. 8 with 85 percent of the vote over his challenger, Phil Weber. The Democrat in this race is Belmont's George Condodemetraky.
Condodemetraky entered the race promising a low-budget campaign on the issues. Asked how much he will spend for the campaign, he jokes, "A couple of bucks." He's collected contributions from some visitors to the state B Vice President Al Gore donated $5000 and Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Nebraska) contributed $1000, both Presidential contenders.
Despite his pledge to keep the debate high-brow, Condodemetraky called Gregg a 'draft dodger' for accepting a military deferment because of bad knees and acne. Condodemetraky:"I feel everyone should serve his or her country for some period of time. There's a fiber of this country that is disappearing and that quality is discipline." (Fsters Democrat, 9/23)
Gregg has used attacks like this as his excuse to dodge a face-to-face debate with Condodemetraky. The1st term Republican, whose political roots are deep in the Granite State, has resisted pressure from local media and NH College Democrats arguing his opponent only wants to engage in personal attacks.
Overall, the 1998 Senate race is a missed opportunity for NH Democrats. Despite Gov. Jeanne Shaheen's statewide popularity, the party couldn't convince her to get in the race. Other potential candidates backed off because of a belief that New Hampshire might be better off with the Republican in the Senate. Over the past six years, several Clinton Administration officials, including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh, have visited Gregg in the state. Without Gregg, many fear New Hampshire would its clout on the influential Appropriations Committee. Gregg should have no problem winning re-election.
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Incumbent | Gov. Jeanne Shaheen(D) |
Opponent | Jay Lucas(R) |
| Race outlook | Strong Democratic |
New Hampshire's first female governor, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, entered this election season in a very strong position. Since the September primary, her Republican challenger Jay Lucas has been on the offensive, but so far it has hanegligible effect on the popular governor. Shaheen should have little trouble being elected to a second term. The major issue facing New Hampshire this year is school funding. Shaheen suffered a setback earlier this year when her ABC (Advancing Better Classrooms) proposal, which would fund schools with a mix of local property revenues and state funds, was ruled unconstitutional by the state's Supreme Court. Lucas has attacked Shaheen for a lack of leadership on the education issue and her "big government" solutions. He also has assailed Shaheen for standing by a top aide who was arrested in September for driving while intoxicated, and he has run a campaign ad featuring a man whose wife was killed by a drunk driver. Lucas has had some credibility problems, which have diffused the effect of his attacks. A former business associate accused him of lying on his resume, and the state attorney general's office is investigating whether he went over the spending cap in the primary. Lucas is viewed as politically untested, in spite of serving in the statehouse during his college years. Shaheen's campaign has been bolstered by the political contributions and visits of a parade of presidential hopefuls, including Vice President Al Gore, Congressman Dick Gephardt, and Sen. Bob Kerrey, who are anxious to gain her support for 2000. Shaheen is strongly favored for reelection and will be an important player in Democratic politics leading into 2000. |
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Incumbent | size=2>JOHN SUNUNU (R) -- age 34 Elected 1996 |
| Opponent | Peter Flood (D) --age 65 Real Estate Developer/Anti-Nuclear |
| Outlook | Strong Republican |
| District Profile; | East-Manchester.1996 HouseD-47% R-50% |
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Incumbent | CHARLIE BASS (R) -- age 46 Elected 1994 |
| Opponents | size=2> Mary Rauh (D) --age 62 Fmr State Dem Vice Chair/Fmr Planned Paula Werme (Libertarian) Attorney |
| Outlook | Likely Republican |
| District Profile; | size=2> West - Concord; Nashua 1996 House: size=2>D-43% R-51% |