Realizing the state's political trends, Pratt, a former chairman of the Seacoast IBM Users Group, said he spent a year and a half building a computerized record of every Rockingham County Republican, independent or undeclared voter who cast their ballots in 1996. Armed with that data, Republican candidates can focus on voters who have showed their mettle at the polls before, Pratt said. Spurred by Pratt's initiative, the New Hampshire Republican Party Committee canvassed the rest of the state and merged that data with Pratt's database this summer.
Candidates can now go to the party for the information.
But there are now some strong pockets of Democrats in the state, and Rockingham County is one of them. It's getting more and more competitive out there. The Republicans have sat back and we need to work harder at getting our people elected. And following the successful election of Democrat Jeanne Shaheen as governor in 1996, the need for Republican vigilance is even greater as they have helplessly watched voter turnouts dwindle. That makes smart campaigning a must, Republicans at Hampton's GOP Family Picnic at Phil Towle's farm on Towle Farm Road said yesterday.