There’s a third candidate, Jim Lawrence, who looks pretty credible on paper (Ex-State Rep., USAF Veteran, etc.) and solid on the issues: http://www.lawrenceforcongress.com/home.html I don’t know if he’s competitive in the polls, though. Not sure of his ethnic background either (Garcia is half spanish and half italian and 100% cutie)
Looking back at the earlier posts on this thread, it seems Garcia’s main obstacle to the nomination isn’t her squishiness on illegals, but her casino vote. NH-2 is a tough district for any Republican to win so I’d have no problem supporting her over the RAT in the general, but she wouldn’t be my pick in the primary.
Lawrence was a late entry, I’m not sure if he’s a real contender or not but he sounds like a fine choice also. He’s reportedly the first Black candidate to run for Congress from NH.
Jim Lawrence is black. He served three terms in the state house, having first been elected in 2002 (I assume that he lost reelection in 2008 along with so many other NH Republicans), and compiled a conservative voting record. He is trying to run to Marilinda Garcia’s right, but his own campaign’s statements make it evident that both candidates are conservative: Lawrence touts a 98% conservative rating from the state’s House Republican Alliance during his final term in office, while Garcia’s conservative rating from the same group was 96%.
Frankly, I think both candidates are fine (as is Lambert), and I’d take whichever candidate has the best chance of winning the general in that Democrat-leaning district. I think that Garcia will have a better chance of picking up the female vote (and the horny male vote), and she’s stayed in the public eye through her continued service in the NH House, so right now I’m supporting Garcia.