Come election day this November, Dartmouth students casting ballots for their New Hampshire state representatives will have a chance to elect one of their own -- 21 year-old Bob Gienko '01.
Gienko, a member of the Republican party, is running for one of four Hanover seats in the state legislature. Gienko will be among four Republican winners in an uncontested primary on September 12 before he faces the decisive November 7 election.
Gienko said his idea to run for state representative is a relatively recent one and not "a life-long ambition." Arizona Senator and former Republican Presidential candidate John McCain factored into Gienko's decision to seek public office.
"I was co-chair of Dartmouth for McCain, and was able to work with and meet him a number of times. He is a man of impeccable honor and integrity and is very inspiring," Gienko said.
Given his interest in politics, Gienko said people often assume he is a government major when in fact he is an economics and history double major.
"I guess I'm getting my political experience first hand," he said.
Gienko was featured in a Wall Street Journal article last month that detailed several examples of young political activists seeking public office in their hometown or state.
Gienko, however, will not be campaigning alone. In addition to the moral support he receives from his parents, Gienko has appointed his good friend Brian Stults '02 to be his campaign manager.
"You really do need a campaign manager if you are going to run. You can't do everything yourself, and Brian was a natural pick for me," he said.
However, at this stage in the game Gienko declined to comment on how he plans to campaign and what role Stults will be playing in his campaign.
Gienko said his strong stand on the issues ranks foremost in his motivation for seeking a representative seat in the legislature from Grafton County, district 10. Some of the major issues that Gienko plans to grapple with include education, judicial reform, the environment and the debate on whether or not New Hampshire should have an income tax.
He said the filing process is relatively simple and does not require any signatures if you are running for the state legislature as a candidate from one of the two major political parties.
Gienko said he went to the town clerk's office before the June deadline and paid a nominal two-dollar fee and filled out some brief paperwork consisting of his name, address, birthday, how he wants his name to appear on the ballot and other standard information.
The only requirement was residency-based, and since Gienko has lived in New Hampshire for three years he was eligible to run.
Come the November election, in addition to Democratic challengers, Gienko will run against fellow Republicans Channing T. Brown, Charles S. Toner, Jr. and Thomas W. Toner.
"We're all Republicans, but I'm going to be running my own individual campaign," Gienko said, noting the top four Republican vote recipients in the September primary election move onto the election in November.
According to Gienko, every voter gets four votes when choosing their representatives, and the top four candidates win. So while he is running against everybody, he said feels he does not need to come in first -- but rather place among the top four for the election in November.
