Chapter 32: Primary School

New Hampshire has two Congressional Districts. The smaller 1st District covered Manchester and the thickly populated coastal region between Massachusetts and Maine, plus some rural upstate areas. My apartment in Hooksett would have filled the residence requirements. The 2nd District covered the Capital and Nashua, but also large thinly, populated areas toward Vermont, including Hanover and Dartmouth, and up to Canada. This was my district. My official residence was the apartment in Nashua, but the district also contained Cloudrest.

It took a long time to come to terms with the state's Republican establishment, largely because Richard Webber, the Chairman of the State Committee, did not like me. It was pure bigotry, nothing personal. He didn't like Ivy Leaguers, social sciences or anyone born out of state. After years of being discriminated for my looks, my sexual preferences and my sex, he was almost refreshing.

His problem was threefold. First, the party was in a bind for a candidate in the 2nd District. Longtime Representative Howard Bass was defeated during the Presidential election. He declined to try again. Second, Mr. Webber was honest enough to know when he was being irrational. Third, he was feeling heat about not already having a good candidate.

Eventually, he agreed to meet me in a public place. We literally settled our differences over a pool table. From that point on, it was a matter of whether I would have the amount of freedom I required. In the end, the party caved for lack of viable alternatives. To say I was their last hope would only exaggerate a little. So, I enlisted to take on a family politician in the mold of the Bush's.

Everyone knows that President George W. Bush is the son of President George H.W. Bush. What is forgotten is that he is the grandson of US Senator Prescott Bush. There is a third George Bush following him in Texas politics. In New Hampshire, the incumbent was Anne Custler, daughter of Concord Mayor John Custler and State Senator Susan McLaine. Her grandfather was Governor Joseph McLaine. Several uncles and cousins were also in politics. She was a Dartmouth graduate, though she went to law school in Virginia.

First, I needed to win the primary. There were two opponents. One was a former Concord Mayor and State Representative. I should not say I dismissed him out of hand, but I did. Morgan Robertson's comment, "John Adams. Named after a President. Next." The other opponent was also a former State Representative, but with a better reputation. He was a self-made millionaire named Roscoe Anderson. He was the type of person I would want on my Congressional staff, if I ever had one.

When I decided to enter the race, time was short. I had been not-running (as opposed to not running) for a couple of months. The distinction has to do with posture. I was holding myself as a potential candidate, without declaring. There are a lot of legalities about funding and communication with Political Action Committees that change when a candidate files the formal paperwork. To the extent I could manage, my name stayed in the news and the political conversation.

After declaring, I invited both candidates to a semi-private (no press) meeting in a Concord restaurant. Both candidates confirmed my first impressions, Mr. Adams by drinking and Mr. Anderson by nursing one drink. I asked them what they would do if the expected happened—they lost the general election to Anne Custler.

I posed the question to assume that each of them won the primary. Only Mr. Anderson picked up on it. He and I exchanged a knowing glance while I explained this to Mr. Adams. He had no plan. Mr. Anderson had business interests that he would pursue. I asked him if he could see himself backing my campaign in the fall. Glancing at Mr. Adams—who had clearly lost the thread of the conversation—Mr. Anderson allowed that it was a possibility. I said, "Good." and nodded. Though it was never formalized, we had agreed to fight fair and support the winner.