Kuster, Norelli Hammer GOP Record

From the top down, the Democratic ticket in New Hampshire's 2nd District hammered Republican leadership just one day after the first presidential debate.

At a meeting of the Windham Democratic Town Committee, congressional candidate Ann McLane Kuster criticized her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, for voting twice for the Paul Ryan budget.

"He is behind this plan to essentially dismantle Medicare as we know it," she said. "To come up with a plan for vouchers for seniors that won't keep up with the cost of inflation."

Kuster called Congress "broken," and cited her experience working across party lines and growing up in a Republican household as a positive thing for the future.

She joked with Windham residents that she is going to be "moving in" with them in the weeks leading up to the general election, knocking door to door because of the narrow margin that she lost out to Bass by in 2010.

She said that Windham and Salem were key swing towns in favor of Bass two years ago.

New Hampshire House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli slammed a hoard of legislation approached this past session while Republicans held control in Concord. She went after Voter ID, right to work and gay marriage among other items.

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the legislature has been anti-women, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-voter, anti-worker and anti-public education," she said. "But there's one thing they are pro (on) – guns."

She called the Republican leadership a "real threat" to the "New Hampshire Advantage."

"This legislature and these proposals that they are putting forth – that's not New Hampshire. That's not the long-standing values that we have had, Democrats and Republicans together in this state."

Arguably the most aggressive Democratic advocate of the night was Bill Shaheen, husband of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who went as far as to call the the GOP agenda in Concord "evil."

He told the room of mostly Windham Democrats that the constitution is currently under attack.

"Ovide Lamontagne wants to be able to change the constitution so that public monies can go to private schools to fund private schools, not public education," Shaheen said of the Republican candidate for governor.

He said that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan reminded him of his wife.

"The way she approaches issues, the way she talks about issues (and) the way she cares about issues," Shaheen said.

He also slammed Lamontagne for what he said was the support of a voucher system.

"I couldn't think of a greater injustice for our elderly and for our disabled," Shaheen said. "Elderly should not have to negotiate with anybody for their healthcare, they should be guaranteed it."

Rockingham County Attorney candidate Joe Plaia also addressed the audience briefly. He spoke to the privatization of prisons, referring to the concept as a "bad, bad idea" that would cost the county in lawsuits.

Also speaking from the Democratic ticket were three of the four Windham candidates for state representative – Kristi St. Laurent, Carolyn Webber and Neil Fallon.