Meredith resident Jeanne Tofts is running as a write-in candidate hoping to win one of only two State Representative seats in town. Ms. Tofts must be something of a gambler because she runs a palpable risk of getting a Democrat elected instead of winning. 

“The spoiler effect” or “splitting the vote” happens when a minor candidate, in this case, Tofts, draws just enough votes away from a candidate on the ballot and changes the outcome of the election had they not run. On November 8th, Tofts will only gain write-in votes from conservatives, splitting the Republican vote three ways in an election that is already a tight race between Democrats and Republicans. In 2020, Republican state rep candidates for Meredith garnered an average mean of 1996 votes to their Democrat opponents’ average of 1724 votes, a difference of only 272 votes. The Jeanne Tofts write-in campaign is a gift to Democrats and they must be gleeful at the prospect of a three-way split.

Conservative Meredith voters are supposed to risk electing a Democrat by taking part in this write-in campaign and for what? With overtones of a smear campaign, Tofts claims Republican candidate Cindy Creteau-Miller is not conservative and that Tofts deserves the votes instead. The controversy began to swirl around Croteau-Miller’s stance on abortion and gun rights. Croteau-Miller had posted early in the race that she supports a “women’s right to choose.”  I had a chance to interview Creteau-Miller to get a better idea of where she stands on this spectrum. She made it clear that she is against a total ban on abortion but that she also supports our current abortion law. Croteau-Miller spoke at Monday’s candidates’ night event to clarify that she stands with the majority of NH voters and supports the current ban on late-term abortion, a perfectly fine conservative position especially here in NH.

Candidate Cindy Creteau-Miller

On second amendment rights, Creteau-Miller, a retired deer hunter,  is undeniably conservative.  She “staunchly” supports the right to bear arms according to her website and my interview with her on this subject. She is a standing member of the NRA and knows quite a bit about guns, though admittedly I’m not much of a judge. Cindy is a bit of a gun hobbyist and sports a gun-rights sign in her front yard. Both she and I have reached out to the NRA to find out how she got a low grade on the NRA survey about gun-rights issues. In our phone conversation, Croteau-Miller explained that she did not fill out this survey and never saw it in her mail.  She has tried to contact the NRA about this assessment, but they have not responded. I also called the NRA but was unable to leave a message or reach anyone for comment.

I have been impressed with Cindy’s dedication to this campaign, to research issues, and to cleave to the truth despite political pressure. These are the qualities I look for in a candidate. I look forward to working with her next year.

.Juliet Harvey-Bolia currently represents Tilton and is seeking reelection for that seat in Belknap District 3