Hats off to the voters

The voters' hope is that the candidates will stick to the issues, avoid personalities, and — just as importantlyWholesale F1 hats — stick to the high road. Because, after all, the candidates are running for public office. And while in this era of so much cynicism about politics and politicians, public office is an institution that commands respect. And it's very hard to accord that respect to someone in office if that person does not practice it when running for office.

The next seven weeks of campaigning leading up to the Nov. 2 general election will be hard-fought. There will be no lack of roadside signs, campaign mailings, personal appearances and media advertising.

Also as Tuesday night wore on and the decision of the voters in most of the races became clear, the losers in their own ways conceded with style and grace. They accepted the voters' decisions and offered their congratulations and support to the winners. Even in cases where a loser used the concession speech to tout an agenda, such as Senate candidate Bill Binnie's call for the Republican Party to become more inclusive, the points were made without pettiness or rancor Cheap A&F hats .

The candidates on the whole stuck to the issues and most of them refrained from negative campaigning either directly or through surrogates. Those that were the exception may well have paid a price for their decision.

The people should be grateful because these candidates took time to reflect on the issues, to explain their positions, and to listen to the concerns of voters.

The people of New Hampshire should be grateful that there were so many of their fellow citizens who were willing to make the commitment to run for office and to do so wholeheartedly. Running a serious campaign for office takes considerable time and energy — and, perhaps, regrettably, a considerable amount of money.

The candidates offered the voters real choices, not only in terms of campaign style but also in terms of their stands on economic and social issues. In some cases, there were significant differences on controversial issues, such as the stand on abortion rights among various Republicans running for the Senate, or the position regarding the war in Afghanistan, as was the case between Democrats Ann Kuster and Katrina Swett running in the 2nd Congressional District.

With so many hotly contested races and crowded fields for both parties, there were far more losers than winners in Tuesday's balloting.

In one notable case, the ultimate outcome of the biggest race of all —Wholesale A&F hats the Republican contest for the U.S. Senate — is in doubt with Kelly Ayotte leading Ovide LaMontagne by about 1,000 as of this writing.

The meaning and implications contained in the results of Tuesday's primary election will be scrutinized and analyzed for days to come.
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