Packy Campbell seeks NH House seat in Farmington as two-party write-in candidate

FARMINGTON — W. Packy Campbell, a lifelong Rochester resident, has moved to Farmington and is attempting to run for the New Hampshire House as a write-in candidate, seeking nomination as both a Republican and Democrat.

Campbell is promoting himself ahead of the Sept. 10 primary. The primary voting will determine the two Republican nominees and two Democratic nominees who will be on the Nov. 5 general election ballot for Farmington's two state representative seats in the New Hampshire House.

"I am hoping to gain enough votes in the primary so that I can get on the ballot," said Campbell.

Campbell has prior legislative experience as an elected Republican in the New Hampshire House. He served 20 years ago as a state representative, from 2000 to 2004, and he was a member of the House Education Committee and the Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee.

Farmington's two current state representatives, Republicans James Horgan and Joseph Pitre, are not seeking reelection.

Campbell's clearest path to ballot appears to be as a Democrat

Manny Krasner is the sole Democratic candidate for state representative on the primary ballot in Farmington, creating an opening for a write-in candidate like Campbell. There are two Republican candidates, Susan DeLemus and Robley Hall, making it much more challenging for a write-in candidate to win the primary.

"I think I will need like 25 votes to get on the ballot in the general election on the Democratic side," Campbell estimated.

Campbell said he hopes to be able to win on both sides as a way to build consensus and communication between the parties, and to work on issues in a common-sense cooperative manner. He said he is “pro life, pro women, pro Second Amendment and pro individual responsibility."

Democratic candidate says Campbell is a Republican

Krasner criticized Campbell for seeking nomination as a Democrat.

"I don't think it is appropriate," Krasner said. "I have known Packy for many years, and he is a Republican. He does not approve of 90% of what the Democrats stand for, so I think he should not be using that ticket to assure a place on the ballot."

Krasner has not served in the New Hampshire House previously. He said he ran against the former incumbents in the past but did not win.

"I am running now because no one is dealing with the property tax issue," Krasner said. "I think that is important for communities like ours, and I want to make sure someone is in Concord to speak to that."

Krasner, a 45-year resident of Farmington, had law offices downtown for many years before his retirement. He said he has served the town on the Planning Board and as moderator for town meetings. He is currently chair of the Trustees of the Trust Fund.

DeLemus welcomes Campbell to the race.

Susan DeLemus, a former state representative for Rochester, said she knows Campbell and welcomes him to the race.

""I am OK with this," she said. "I think he would do fine."

DeLemus said she and he husband Jerry are living in a trailer on a 1800s property they bought in Farmington while they completely renovate the house.

"We were living in Rochester, and I considered running there," DeLemus said. "But I knew we were moving here so I waited."

DeLemus said she served in the New Hampshire House for three terms, not consecutively. She said, as a conservative, she'd like to work on election law reform and on keeping an eye on spending and taxes, if elected.

Hall could not be reached for comment.

Why is Campbell doing this now?

Over the course of the past 30 years, Campbell said he has accumulated a number of small businesses. Among them are RSA Realty LLC, Packy’s investment Properties LLC, PIP Rental LLC, PIP Storage (mini storage), Campbell House LLC (assisted living facility), Lilac Car Wash, Campbell Resources LLC (gravel pit and material recycling), and Bright Spot Solar (wholesale supplier, installation and maintenance of solar trackers).

"You could say I’m pro-business," he said.

Issues important today for Campbell are improving the state's education model, providing better opportunities for home ownership, and increasing access to distributed power and grid storage.

Campbell said he wants to improve state aid to education in Farmington.

"Local budgets have doubled, while the state aid stays the same," he said. "I want to see better equity, see school districts all be able to offer more than the state's idea of an adequate education. Does that mean donor towns? I am OK with donor towns, because rich towns should be able to help less fortunate towns."

"Why now? I am deeply troubled by the division and unwillingness to compromise between parties," he said. "I believe with all the experience I’ve gained in and out of the legislature, I can lend much to the conversation."

"Democrat or Republican? I have a genuine love for both my community and my country. I want to use my vast experience to improve the discourse between parties, focus on quality-of-life issues, improve our education posture, and offer sound solutions to real problems facing our town. I can do that from either side of the aisle. My loyalty is to my constituents."

"On the lighter side: I did put a snowplow on my Tesla and I drive a Cybertruck," he said.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Packy Campbell seeks NH House seat in Farmington as two-party write-in candidate