Garcia Victory Seen as Blow to House Dem Leadership

Former state representative Marilinda Garcia won back her old seat in Salem and Windham tonight in a convincing victory over Democrat and local librarian Sheila Murray. Unofficial results show Garcia earned 2,050 votes while Murray won 1,250 votes.

The race is seen as a blow to House Speaker Terie Norelli who spent the day in Salem personally campaigning for Murray. Accoding to sources on the ground, Norelli hit several polling places with other members of her leadership team to convince voters to support Murray, to no avail.

Republicans wasted no time celebrating the victory. Republican Chairman John Sununu said, “A great candidate with a solid commitment to traditional New Hampshire issues and values won a great victory. I congratulate Marilinda Garcia for running a fantastic race and I know that she will help make a difference in Concord.”

Kevin Smith from Cornerstone Policy Research said, “Following up on the win by Senator Bradley last week, the voters in Salem and Windham tonight again sent a loud and clear message to the legislature that ‘Enough is Enough’ of the House’s out of control tax and spend policies, and out-of-touch radical social agenda. We believe the last two special elections are foreshadowing what is to come next November should the legislature continue to ignore the values and priorities of the voters.”

“It is clear that Marilinda’s message of smaller government, less spending and lower taxes, especially in this economy, resonated with the voters in Salem and Windham today,” said House Republican Leader Sherm Packard.

Garcia was a popular speaker at the taxpayer tea party in Manchester on April 15th: