Ok, I know what some of you are wondering: who’s Marilinda Garcia? Well, she’s a rising star in the Republican Party out of New Hampshire where she’s a state representative. She’s challenging Democratic Congresswoman Annie Kuster in the state’s second congressional district.
Garcia has been traveling the district, visiting small businesses, schools, and just announced a town hall tour that will end the day before Election Day. Some prominent national Republicans have endorsed and fundraised on her behalf. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers raised at least $500,000 for her as well as other women running on the Republican ticket in this year’s congressional races. Mitt Romney also endorsed her.
As for her opponent, Congresswoman Kuster hasn’t held a town hall meeting with her constituents since her 2012 victory; that’s over 600 days. In a region of the country where voters like–and expect–these events from their representatives, it’s rubbed some voters the wrong way. Local New Hampshire newspapers have published letters to the editor from voters venting about Rep. Kuster’s lack of constituent services.
Kuster’s prevarication could be her rather awkward response to a question about how she felt about the select committee on Benghazi at a town hall event in Manchester, which is outside her district. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
(Note: Libya is in Africa, not the Middle East, but Kuster’s response was still dreadful)
Earlier this week, Garcia was supposed to have a radio debate with Kuster; she declined. Garcia previously invited Kuster to do a joint town hall event; she declined that invitation as well.
.@RepAnnieKuster was absent for today’s debate with @MarilindaGarcia. Why is she hiding? #NH02 #AnnKusterCantTrustHer pic.twitter.com/jcF1KiJXfd
— Kenneth C Cunningham (@KennyCunningham) September 30, 2014
Kuster has been hit for being out-of-touch with New Hampshire voters, with the Garcia campaign hitting her over her failure to pay her property taxes, despite being a high-paid lobbyist at the time.
Nevertheless, Garcia is persistent in trying to drag her Democratic opponent out of the bunker with this invitation to join her diner tour.
Given that Kuster has marked her campaign with mostly unannounced visits to voters, it’s more than likely that Kuster will decline this invitation.
In the meantime, Garcia plans to host her first town hall event on October 9 in Littleton, where the focus will be health care. On October 23, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio plans to stump for her in Amherst.
Oh Kuster, why don’t you just come out to play?
For more on Garcia, here are a few of her “meet the candidates” interviews.
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