Newly announced 1st Congressional District candidate Pam Tucker said this week that she hopes to stand out in an already-competitive Republican primary by pitching herself as the only one who's consistently stood on conservative principles.
“I am the only proven conservative," Tucker said in an interview during an event celebrating the opening of a Dover field office for the New Hampshire chapter of Americans for Prosperity. "It is going to be crowded. You’re going to see a lot of names and a lot of faces.”
“Everyone’s going to say they’re a Republican and they’re a conservative,” she added. “You’ve got to look at them, you say, 'Well, what have you done?' For the past seven years, and I’m in my fourth term now at the State House, I have a proven record that I can do it and I will do it. And I have the courage to make those tough votes.”
In the legislature, Tucker has held posts as co-chair of the House Republican Alliance and as Deputy Speaker of the House under Bill O’Brien.
Tucker is one of several Republicans looking for the chance to unseat incumbent District 1 Rep. Frank Guinta, who faced pressure to resign last year amid campaign finance violations.
Former UNH Business School Dean and Portsmouth hotelier Dan Innis got into the race in the fall. Rich Ashooh — a longtime defense executive and the interim director at UNH Law’s Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy — is also seriously weighing a bid.
Asked about her policy priorities, Tucker says she would focus on reining in the country’s debt, as well as reducing the size of government.
