Recent Kevin Landrigan Columns

House panel likes look of voter ID bill

Kevin Landrigan | Friday, May 11, 2012

CONCORD – A key House committee endorsed a voter ID bill that would take effect in time for the 2012 fall elections and exclude student …

Incumbents’ announced departures leave Senate in state of flux

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, May 6, 2012

You can now call it an epidemic. The decision of first-term Sen. Fenton Groen, R-Rochester, to suddenly decide not to seek another term brings the …

Series examines Speaker O’Brien

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, April 29, 2012

Who is House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, how did he get to where he is and can he stay there? Those are just some …

State Senate rule provides its own gasoline additive to House

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, April 22, 2012

This legislative session has started to get ugly, and it’s going to get much worse before it gets better. There are more than enough bruised …

Community and state mourning slain Greenland police chief

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, April 15, 2012

The horrific tragedy in Greenland reminds us of just how small a state we are and how a community can be torn asunder by such …

Biden back in N.H. Thursday

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, April 8, 2012

Exeter is a perfect spot for Vice President Joe Biden to bring the Obama re-election campaign train back to New Hampshire on Thursday. Why? This …

Little-known court ruling could lead to big-time mess

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, April 1, 2012

An obscure Supreme Court ruling about a retired probate judge from Goffstown could become the powder keg that hamstrings future legislative action and could nullify …

Gambling returns to table this week

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, March 25, 2012

Place your bets: Expanded gambling comes to the House of Representatives this week, and the betting line has never looked better. Don’t misunderstand; this controversial …

Clock ticking on same-sex marriage

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, March 18, 2012

The showdown is here: Repeal the same-sex marriage law, or not? On Wednesday, the New Hampshire House of Representatives will have the first word on …

New ace enters NH casino game

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, March 4, 2012

When it comes to the casino gambling movement in New Hampshire, there’s a new significant player in the game. The corporate name is New Hampshire …

Newest voter ID proposal has surprising momentum

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, February 26, 2012

Voter ID looked like an issue that was going nowhere at the end of last year. The national Republican Party has been pushing states to …

Medicare Part D payment cut will help deficit

Kevin Landrigan | Saturday, February 25, 2012

The state of New Hampshire will share in an Obama administration windfall that couldn’t come at a better time. OK, it only makes a small …

Proposed education amendment now has to win over House of Representatives

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, February 19, 2012

The plot thickens over a new education funding amendment to the state Constitution. Senate President Peter Bragdon, R-Milford, did his job, convincing the Senate to …

Cilley focuses on state’s financial picture

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, February 12, 2012

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jackie Cilley denied she’s advocating an overhaul in the tax structure. Many who saw her attack against “simplistic pledges” considered it a …

Time for House to roll dice on gambling in NH

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, February 5, 2012

The showdown has arrived. We should know by the end of the day Wednesday whether the House of Representatives will make history and endorse legislation …

Lynch out to cement legacy in final year of leadership

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, January 29, 2012

Don’t look for Gov. John Lynch to pull a Barack Obama and get too confrontational with the Republicans in charge of the Legislature in his …

A real he-said, she-said at the Statehouse

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, January 22, 2012

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, R-Salem, was the only one in the Senate chamber when Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, had his storied talk with …

Romney paid attention to all the necessary details in winning NH primary

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, January 15, 2012

Earn it! This was the mantra of Mitt Romney’s primary campaign, and he pulled it off in spades with a decisive victory that should put …

Romney predicted to emerge victorious in NH primary

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, January 8, 2012

What a long, strange trip it’s been. The path to the first-in-the-nation primary has been one of many twists and turns, contenders and pretenders, shifts …

2012 state Legislature to focus on creating small business

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, December 25, 2011

If the business community liked the Republican-led Legislature in 2011, they may love it in 2012. Both House and Senate Republican leaders say now that …

State faces its usual redistricting headache in 2012

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, December 18, 2011

The House redistricting plan is out, it has grease on its skids and it’s likely racing headlong into a veto from four-term Democratic Gov. John …

NH race boiling down to Mitt versus Newt

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, December 11, 2011

The battle is joined. Longtime New Hampshire Republican primary front-runner Mitt Romney has seen the enemy – and it’s Newt Gingrich. For months, Romney has …

O’Brien figured it was time to cut to the chase on Right to Work

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, December 4, 2011

House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, decided ending the five-month hangover at the Statehouse over a Right-to-Work bill was as important as trying to win …

Heavy hitters tried to boost Lynch’s education proposal

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, November 20, 2011

Gov. John Lynch’s education funding amendment will have difficulty getting through the Republican-dominated House of Representatives on Nov. 30. But it sure had some powerful …

Lynch has no easy road ahead

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Gov. John Lynch learned the hard way last week that many political appointments in the twilight of his career won’t be easy ones. We saw …

Legislators trying to get down to most basic issues

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, November 6, 2011

House Republican leaders have been diligently at work trying to pare down the tall pile of bills that will face legislators in 2012. This is …

Congressional candidate fined for late report

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, October 23, 2011

Democratic congressional candidate Ann McLane Kuster, of Bow, has impressed both here and in Washington with her campaign fundraising for a likely 2012 rematch with …

Primary concern in Nevada for New Hampshire

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, October 16, 2011

Memo to national Republican leaders and would-be leading GOP candidates for president: When it comes to setting the date for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, Secretary …

Nashua’s Lambert joins Romney’s NH team

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, October 9, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the New Hampshire primary front-runner, just picked up the biggest GOP prize in Nashua. The Sunday Telegraph confirmed first-term Sen. …

Lynch leaving interesting field of contenders

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, September 18, 2011

No one should be shocked, but it’s the biggest political story in a decade. The announcement that John Lynch will not attempt to win an …

So why the focus on force?

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, September 11, 2011

The State Senate has come and gone for the 2011 session, so let’s look at what was left in their wake. Much was made, and …

Senate veto vote on tap this week

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, September 4, 2011

It looks as if Gov. John Lynch will score some victories – but not all he wants – with the state Senate when it meets …

Expect no election fallout from power struggle

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, August 28, 2011

Let’s start with the most obvious. When the New Hampshire Republican Executive Committee votes to remove Chairman Jack Kimball from office – and it will …

GOP leaders discuss committee discord

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, August 21, 2011

The highest of high-ranking Republicans in New Hampshire politics huddled for a brainstorming session about what to do with the troubled Republican State Committee. House …

Considering the strengths, weaknesses of Perry in NH

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, August 14, 2011

Come on in, Rick Perry, the water’s fine. But here’s hoping you can swim – and fast. The Texas governor’s late entry into the 2012 …

Voter ID veto gets priority in Legislature

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, August 7, 2011

House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, has yet to decide when the House of Representatives will take up the right-to-work veto of Gov. John Lynch. …

NH hospitals take umbrage over cuts by Legislature

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, July 31, 2011

Make no mistake about it: the Republican-led state Legislature is now at war with the New Hampshire Hospital Association. Anyone in the legislative leadership who …

Right-to-work debate considered

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, July 24, 2011

Windham Republican Rep. David Bates is trying to bring together the warring factions for a debate on the right-to-work issue. The Sunday Telegraph confirmed that …

Pension issues move forward in the courts

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Legislature has won round one of the lengthy court battle over retirement reform. But by no means is the fight over. In fact, it …

Unexpected special election win has NH Republicans wondering

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, July 10, 2011

The New Hampshire House special election on Tuesday was another embarrassing defeat for establishment Republicans. Seabrook firefighter Kevin Janvrin won the five-way GOP primary over …

In the end, a veto by Lynch wouldn’t have been worth the effort

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, June 26, 2011

Did Gov. John Lynch have a choice when it came to deciding what to do with the $10.3 billion state budget? Not really. The Republican-dominated …

Figuring out the figures behind the NH budget figures

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, June 19, 2011

How did the deal over the $4.42 billion state budget come together between House and Senate leaders? For starters, let’s ask why it took a …

Unusual agreement gets ball rolling in NH budget negotiations

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, June 12, 2011

Score round one in the state budget battle for House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon. The first meeting of state budget conferees wasn’t confrontational and …

Paying people twice holding up retirement reform

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, June 5, 2011

You know negotiations might be on the rocks when one side is crafting a bailout option. That’s the current state of talks over retirement reform …

O’Brien, Lynch still at odds on education amendment

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, May 29, 2011

House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, sounds as if he has become weary of trying to reach agreement with Gov. John Lynch on the language …

Legislative leaders working on Right to Work vote

Kevin Landrigan | Sunday, May 22, 2011

The state House of Representatives bid to push the Right to Work bill (HB 474) into law over the dismissive veto of Gov. John Lynch …