Ann McLane Kuster | NH-02

Ann Kuster is running for an open seat in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.

She is an attorney and a longtime community activist in her home state of New Hampshire. She sits on numerous boards and served on the statewide steering committees of both Barack Obama and John Kerry’s presidential campaigns. She helped New Hampshire’s colleges create a savings program that helps parents save for their children’s education and she worked with a coalition of healthcare providers to establish a program that provides medication to seniors and families who cannot afford the prices of their prescription drugs. Her mother was a prominent Republican state legislator and her father served as the mayor of Concord; Kuster is looking to continue the family tradition of public service. Recently, New Hampshire has shown an encouraging willingness to send women to the Senate and House by electing both Jeanne Shaheen and Carol Shea-Porter

WAND distinguishing points: Kuster has released several statements about Afghanistan which indicate that although she campaigned for Obama, she will not be afraid to ask questions of him and hold him accountable.

The seat: The current representative for this district, Paul Hodes, is running for US Senate. The race is crowded on both sides of the aisle but Republican former Congressman Charlie Bass is the current frontrunner. Bass is trying to regain this seat, which he lost to Hodes in 2006. This is expected to be one of the dozen or so most competitive House races in 2010, and Kuster will need our support to build name recognition and challenge Bass.

Post Election Update: Ann McLane Kuster lost her race.