Negron Wins Tight 2nd Congressional District Gop Primary

Press Release

State Rep. Steve Negron has won the 2nd Congressional District Republican nomination and will take on three-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kuster in the general election.

After a long night of watching returns trickle in from the cities and small towns of the district, Negron emerged as the winner. The AP officially called the race Wednesday morning, but second-place finisher Dr. Stewart Levenson called Negron shortly after midnight Wednesday to concede the race and then issued a brief statement, and former state Rep. Lynne Blankenbeker issued a statement soon after.

With more than 90 percent of the district precincts reporting, Negron had received 27 percent of the vote to 25 percent for Levenson, 23 percent for Blankenbeker and 16 percent for former Hillsborough County Treasurer Robert Burns.

Negron told WMUR that he knew the race would be close and that he was relying on a strong showing in his home city of Nashua and along the southern tier.

He said he believes his varied background as a U.S. Air Force veteran, as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile combat crew member with the Strategic Air Command and as a private businessman resonated with voters.

He said he realizes that Kuster is well-funded; she enters the general election with nearly $3 million on hand in her campaign account.

"We need to rally the base," Negron said. "I told Dr. Levenson that I can't win without him and without Lynne and without the party coming together. It's about rallying the base."

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