Skip to content

Carol Shea-Porter ‘Ready to Win’ N.H. Seat Back

Shea-Porter is contemplating a fourth House race rematch in New Hampshire's 1st District. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Shea-Porter is contemplating a fourth House race rematch in New Hampshire's 1st District. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire told supporters in an email Thursday she is “ready to win” back the seat she was ousted from in 2014.  

Shea-Porter has been contemplating  another rematch with Rep. Frank C. Guinta, the Republican she has sparred with since the 2010 cycle who is currently embattled in a campaign finance scandal . While it’s unclear whether Shea-Porter is running again in 2016, her declarative statement is a clear sign she is moving closer to another comeback bid in the Granite State’s 1st District.  

“I stand ready to win this seat back and restore honesty, integrity, and competence to the NH-01 seat,” Shea-Porter said in an email to supporters, according to WMUR.

In an interview with WMUR, Shea-Porter declined to comment on whether she has committed to a rematch against Guinta. Instead, she said she would “run for the seat if and when he steps down.”

In the email, Shea-Porter called on Guinta to resign amid the campaign finance scandal that’s roiled his campaign since the 2010 cycle. The Federal Election Commission ordered Guinta to repay  more than $350,000 in illegal contributions from his parents, as well as pay a $15,000 fine.  

“Mr. Guinta has lied for five years about even being under investigation by the FEC. He deliberately deceived NH voters a week before the election last November when he ran an ad calling me a liar for saying he was under investigation,” Shea-Porter wrote in the email, linking to the ad .  

“Guinta broke the law, used illegal funds in his campaign, and proceeded to lie and cheat for five years,” Shea-Porter continued. “This is not a partisan issue — it’s a matter of integrity, honesty and trust.”  

First elected to Congress in 2006, Shea-Porter was ousted by Guinta in the 2010 GOP wave. She won a comeback bid in 2012, but she lost to Guinta again in 2014 — another strong year for Republicans on the ballot.  

Guinta was already vulnerable in a re-election bid, as President Barack Obama carried the district twice, each by single-digit margins.  

But the campaign finance scandal threatens to sink his re-election hopes.  

A handful of high-profile New Hampshire Republicans have called on Guinta to resign , including vulnerable New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte. But if he continues to dig in his heels and run for re-election, Republicans speculate he could face a stiff primary challenge.  

“I agree with Republican United States Senator Ayotte, the Republican leaders of the New Hampshire House and New Hampshire Senate, and others that Guinta must resign now,” Shea-Porter wrote.  

New Hampshire’s 1st District is rated a Tilts Republican contest by the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report/Roll Call.  

Related:

Republicans Fear Guinta Scandal Could Imperil 2016


Embattled Guinta Not Backing Down


The Year of the Rematch


N.H. Democrats Prep Kelly Ayotte Challenge


Roll Call Race Ratings Map: Ratings for Every House and Senate Race in 2016


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.

Recent Stories

Justices agree to hear dispute over California emissions rules

Farewell tours — Congressional Hits and Misses

Trump signals foreign policy will run through him despite nominee noise

Photos of the week ending December 13, 2024

Walberg gets Republican panel nod for House Education chair

Trump risks legal clashes in plans to not spend appropriations