CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A new poll shows that 50 percent of New Hampshire residents surveyed think U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta should resign amid his campaign finance troubles and 4 percent said they would back his re-election bid next year.
The Republican said the $355,000 he reported loaning himself for his 2010 campaign was his because for years he contributed to and managed a “family pot” of money. But the Federal Election Commission concluded Guinta broke the law by accepting donations above the legal limit from his parents and fined him.
In a WMUR Granite State Poll released Thursday, 56 percent of likely voters in the First District said they’d vote for someone else if Guinta’s on the ballot. Sixteen percent would consider voting for him and 24 percent are unsure. Guinta has said he will seek re-election next year.
Guinta was first elected in 2010, lost to Democrat Carol Shea-Porter in 2012, then defeated Shea-Porter last year to take the seat back. In August, Shea-Porter filed paperwork to run again. The poll showed that 37 percent in the First District have a favorable opinion of her, while 30 percent have an unfavorable opinion.
Former University of New Hampshire business dean Dan Innis filed his statement of candidacy for the Republican nomination. Shawn O’Connor of Bedford, founder of a test preparation and admissions counseling firm, is seeking the Democratic nomination.
Guinta and fellow New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster, a Democrat representing the Second District, introduced the “Stop Abuse” bill on Thursday to treat and stop the heroin epidemic that is threatening states and communities across the country. The two also are co-chairs of a bipartisan task force in Congress to combat the heroin problem. They’ve partnered on mental health and veterans issues in the past.
The bill would reauthorize drug crisis grants, revise treatment administration guidelines for people unable to receive take-home treatment, among other provisions.
“Many House members on both side of the aisle, like Congresswoman Kuster and me, recognize the gravity of heroin abuse in their districts, especially in New England,” Guinta said. “The Stop Abuse bill capitalizes on the best of their ideas, more from state and local governments, and insight from individuals and families affected by addiction.”
Second District residents were polled about Kuster. Twenty-nine percent said they had a favorable opinion of her; 33 percent had an unfavorable opinion, and 30 percent said they didn’t know enough about her to say.
The telephone poll of 286 First District residents and 301 Second District residents was conducted by the UNH Survey Center from Sept. 24-Oct. 2. The sampling margin of error was plus or minus 5.8 percentage points for the First District and 5.6 percentage points for the Second District.
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This story has been corrected to show that Shea-Porter has filed paper to run again, not to win again.
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