Ann McLane Kuster '78 announced that she will seek a bid for New Hampshire's second congressional district seat in the 2012 election in an email to supporters on Wednesday. Kuster ran for the congressional seat in 2010 but lost to Rep. Charles Bass '74, R-N.H., by three percentage points.
Kuster decided to run again in the 2012 election because the issues important to her campaign still have not been resolved, Kuster said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"The issues remain the same," she said. "We need to get people back to work in this fragile economy and invest in education and renewable energy. I still think I can be a voice for New Hampshire's working families in Washington."
Rep. Sharon Nordgren, D-Grafton, one of Kuster's first Upper Valley organizers and a contributor to her campaign, said Kuster's November campaign was one of the best she has ever seen, and attributed her loss to the national political climate.
"I think her loss really just reflects what happened across the country," Nordgren said. "The fact that she came so close is a compliment to her campaign."
Deb Nelson, a former volunteer in Kuster's campaign, said the stronghold of Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., in Nashua, N.H., bolstered political support for Bass and contributed to Kuster's loss.
"The only reason [Kuster] didn't win in the general election is the way things turned so sour in big parts of New Hampshire for the Democrats," Nelson said. "She didn't lose the election as much as Charlie Bass got an advantage with [Ayotte]."
Nelson said Kuster's decision to run again is no surprise.
"When she lost the election I told her, I'm not throwing out my Kuster for Congress signs,' and she replied good,' so I have just been waiting for her announcement to run in the next election," she said.
Kuster said she believes the presidential election will weigh heavily on her own race in 2012.
"In the last election, I lost by 3,551 votes and will be focused on getting those votes back, but 150,000 more voters are expected to turn out in the presidential year," Kuster said. "There will be far more students, young people across the board, working families and all of these are great voting potential for our campaign."
Kuster will use grassroot campaigning techniques in her 2012 bid for office, which is another reason to begin campaigning early, she said.
In 2010, Kuster ran a campaign that featured house parties events in which she spoke to groups of supporters at their own houses and fundraising efforts that allowed her to raise more money across the second congressional district than any other person who ran for a federal or state seat in the same district, Nelson said.
The Dartmouth community rallied behind Kuster, who has two children at the College, and aided her campaign in the November election. Kuster said she expects that students will continue to support her in 2012.
"I had wonderful support from friends of my children, and many others who went door-to-door and made phone calls," she said. "I plan to be on campus a lot during my next campaign."
President of College Democrats Ryan Tincher '12 said he expects Dartmouth students to be just as involved in Kuster's next campaign as they were in 2010, if not more.
"There will be a lot more hype and more people voting," he said. "Especially since she is from the area, I expect a pretty high level of support here on campus."
Tincher said the College Democrats will likely plan numerous events with Kuster that will begin no earlier than next fall.
Nordgren said Kuster's continuing focus on relevant issues like health care, jobs and the environment will help give her an edge in the next race.
"I think the issues she ran on last year are still in the forefront, so it looks like she's right on target again," she said.
Nordgren said she expects Kuster to use many of the same campaign tactics in the next election, adding that it will most likely be more effective since she has established herself as a viable congressional candidate.
"I think getting her name out last time was her struggle, but now that people know who she is they will likely more willingly get on board with hercampaign," Nordgren said.
Kuster said in the email that she will make a more formal announcement of her plans to run for election next year. Bass has announced plans to run for re-election, the Union Leader reported.
