LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – Our countdown to Election Day continues with the candidates vying for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District. The seat opened up after Congresswoman Annie Kuster announced she was not seeking reelection.
The Democrats have held New Hampshire’s 2nd District Congressional seat for more than a decade. Nashua native Maggie Goodlander wants to keep it that way. But her Republican opponent, Lily Tang Williams, wants to change things by highlighting her unique background.
Tang Williams came to the United States from China back in 1988. She says she’s running for Congress to make sure the country she loves does not turn into the country she left.
“I know how much they censor free speech and they track people, no privacy, and you have to comply, even private business people have to comply otherwise they can get into trouble,” Tang Williams said.
The Republican was active in Colorado politics before moving to New Hampshire a few years ago. This is her second time running for the 2nd District seat.
She’s a small business consultant and manages real estate properties.
“My story is the American Dream story and our kids deserve to keep that going and not lose the shot at the American Dream,” Tang Williams said.
Her opponent, Maggie Goodlander, encourages supporters to get out the vote with a “Make America Kind Again” button on her jacket.
“They are exhausted by the division and the dysfunction in our politics,” she said.
The Democrat’s resume includes time as a Navy Reserve officer, a law clerk in the Department of Justice and most recently a senior adviser on President Biden’s Unity Agenda.
“It’s an agenda that is based on the idea that we can still come together as Republicans and Democrats to tackle the challenges that unite us as Americans. So, it was the opioid epidemic, our mental health crisis, fulfilling our sacred obligations to veterans, holding big tech companies accountable to keep our kids safe online,” Goodlander said.
But Tang Williams says Goodlander is out of step with average Granite Staters.
“We don’t want a D.C. insider,” Tang Williams said. “We don’t want some elitist who claims they are for the people but they don’t.”
“Look, I am the only candidate in this race born and raised in New Hampshire. This has always been my home. This is the place that made me who I am today,” Goodlander said.
Goodlander’s priorities in Congress include protecting women’s reproductive rights and passing a code of conduct bill for Supreme Court justices.
Tang Williams says she’s focused on reducing inflation and getting a handle on illegal immigration.
“Think about all this surge in crime, people don’t feel secure,” she said. “And draining our taxpayers’ money and the financial resources including housing.”
An issue former President Donald Trump often brings up on the campaign trail.
Goodlander says it’s Tang Williams who is out of touch.
“This brand of extremism, MAGA extremism, which my opponent has fully embraced, is out of step with what the people of New Hampshire want and what they really need,” Goodlander said.
The candidates will square off in a debate on NHPR on Oct. 28.
