It's widely acknowledged in New Hampshire political circles that the Greater Londonderry/Derry area stands as the last major stronghold of the Republican Party in the Granite State.
As a result, the region's influence in Concord, with a Democratic governor and a Democrat-controlled Legislature, is limited at best.
What is surprising is how much of a non-factor Democrats from this area are within their own party. This is made clear by the fact that New Hampshire will be sending 55 delegates to Denver this summer for the National Democratic Convention, and not a single one is from Londonderry, Chester or Derry. An area of the state with a population of roughly 70,000 — an area swarmed by Democratic candidates during the presidential primary season — will not have a single voice at the convention.
One state Democratic Party spokesperson pointed out that most delegates are selected at district caucuses and that those wishing to be selected need to actively pursue the position and bring plenty of support (family, friends, etc.) to the caucuses.
This fact shines a spotlight on the weakness of the Democratic Party in this area. Either no local Dems cared about — or saw the value in — being a delegate to the National Convention, or they couldn't muster enough support to get elected. And given the lack of influence wielded by the Londonderry/Derry contingent at the caucuses, there was no way to expect that any locals would be elected as at-large delegates by the state party as a whole.
While it would be unfair to describe the Democratic Party as an afterthought in the Greater Londonderry/Derry area, it is a long way from breaking the Republican stranglehold on the area. The legislative elections in the fall will be a good test.
However, a bigger challenge may be locals Democrats building much-needed influence and power within their own party.
