New Hampshire Elections 2014: Republican Candidates Marilinda Garcia and Scott Brown Gain Momentum in New Polls
GOP New Hampshire congressional candidates Marilinda Garcia and Scott Brown have improved their odds to win their respective races in the Granite State based on new polling data.
The New England College Polling Center has shown a ten-vote spread between Garcia and Brown against their respective opponents. For the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, Brown increased his support to 46.6 percent, while the incumbent received 47.1 percent. While Shaheen still has the lead, she dropped from 50 percent while Brown gained from 43 percent based on New England College's previous survey released on Sept. 24.
New Hampshire State Representative Marilinda Garcia is vying for the state's 2nd Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Ann McLane Kuster. The latest New England College poll has Kuster ahead with 46.6 percent, while Garcia has 45.2 percent. Kuster previously had a 10-point advantage over Garcia. The Democratic incumbent had 48.9 percent while the Republican challenger had 38.1 percent.
The questionnaire for Brown and Shaheen was composed of 1,331 responses with the former receiving 621 votes and the latter 627 votes. Ten votes also separated Garcia from Kuster, but fewer responses were recorded than for the Senate questionnaire. Of the total 702 votes recorded, Kuster received 327 votes to Garcia's 317 votes.
Among female voters, they are more likely to vote for the Democratic incumbents. Shaheen received 53 percent of the female vote, while Brown garnered 40.6 percent. Kuster also led with 53.7 percent to Garcia's 32.8 percent. Men showed a different picture for the four candidates.
Kuster received 46.3 percent of the male voters of New Hampshire while Garcia improved by over double digits to 45.4 percent. For the Senate, Brown won the male vote with 52.7 percent to 41.2 percent for Shaheen.
The improvements for Brown and Garcia come as the Republican candidates addressed statements by Democrats on their stance on women's issues. Speaking to local radio station WGIR, Garcia was asked about the Democrats attacking her on women's rights and echoed a 2007 floor speech she delivered at the New Hampshire Legislature where she called women "emotional rollercoasters."
"Frankly, I think it's insulting, because they're preying upon what they see as a vulnerable group, one that can be swayed with scare tactics," said Garcia, adding that Democrats "continually harp upon these social-issue tactics" to attract voters.
Garcia said women are interested in other topics, stating, "In reality, the women I talk to, I would say maybe 2 percent of all of the voters I've talked to in the 2nd District and my peers -- What do we talk about? We worry about the job market, we worry about our energy independence, we worry about our debt, we worry about entitlement reform, we worry about national security."
Garcia spokesperson Kenny Cunningham released a statement, via The Hill, "Marilinda Garcia understands that women in New Hampshire are concerned with a broad array of issues, including a lack of good-paying jobs in today's economy and the lack of healthcare options available to them as a result of Obamacare."
Meanwhile, Brown, during an appearing on the Fox News Channel, addressed statements by Shaheen. Host Gretchen Carlson read the Shaheen statement, "He doesn't stand up for women's reproductive rights and economic security. He co-sponsored legislation to let employers deny women coverage for birth control or even mammograms. He had two opportunities to vote for equal pay laws and both times he voted no."
"Well unfortunately, I'm talking about issues that people care about," said Brown, adding that he supports contraception and equal pay, but he's "focusing on the things that people care about" such as border security, health care and veterans issues.
Brown and Garcia are also promoting debates within the state but have yet to manage to get their Democratic opponents to agree on a date.