Bradley, Shea-Porter to have rematch

Former Rep. Jeb Bradley won the Republican primary in New Hampshire’s 1st District on Tuesday, earning the chance to reclaim his seat from Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) in this November’s election.

Bradley edged out former state Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen in the primary, taking 50 percent of the vote to Stephen’s 47 percent, with 84 percent of polls reporting.

{mosads}Bradley managed to fend off Stephen, who had a base of support in the district’s largest city, Manchester, and waged a primary challenge from Bradley’s conservative flank.

Bradley will take on his 2006 opponent, Shea-Porter, who beat the two-term Republican in one of the most surprising upsets during the 2006 midterm elections.

Two years later, Shea-Porter has the upper-hand financially; her campaign reported having $675,000 in cash on hand through August 20 according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. Bradley had just over $360,000 in cash on hand through the same date.

Nonetheless, the race is considered a pickup opportunity for Republicans in a year when the GOP is left to largely defend against further losses this fall.
 
A July release of the Granite State Poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire, showed Bradley leading Shea-Porter in a head-to-head contest. Forty-six percent of voters said they preferred Bradley in that poll, and 40 percent chose Shea-Porter—an ominous number for an incumbent. 13 percent of voters in that poll said they were undecided.

The poll, conducted between July 11 and 20, had a 4.5 percent margin of error. The Cook Political Report has labeled the race as a “toss-up,” and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) put Shea-Porter on its list of “frontline” Democrats, their list of incumbent Democrats facing competitive challenges this fall.

In the Granite State’s 2nd District, talk radio host Jennifer Horn held off state Sen. Bob Clegg in the district’s Republican primary.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting, Horn had received 40 percent of the vote, while Clegg trailed at 34 percent. Attorney Jim Steiner received 14 percent and former congressional aide Grant Bosse won nine percent.

Horn will take on first-term Rep. Paul Hodes (D) in the general election. Hodes has a sizeable financial advantage in the race, having raised $1.6 million to date in the race.

The Granite State Poll showed Hodes leading Horn 43-32 in a general election matchup, with 32 percent undecided. Though the district had previously been represented by Republican Rep. Charles Bass before Hodes upset Bass in 2006, the district is considered likely to remain in Democratic control.