Keene Mayor George Hansel launches campaign for Congress

Jun. 1—Keene Mayor George Hansel officially entered the race for the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday with an endorsement from N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu.

"Three years ago I stood before many of you and said this was a campaign for the future of our city," Hansel, a Republican, said to attendees of his announcement event at Modestman Brewing in Keene, referencing his mayoral campaign in 2019. "Well today I'm here to announce we're expanding our mission. Now it's a campaign for the future of our state ... and the future of our country."

Sununu, a Republican, was one of about 70 people who attended Tuesday's announcement at 100 Main St., and voiced his support for Hansel's campaign.

"George is going to win this race," Sununu told The Sentinel. "With his track record of public service, experience as a business leader and the fact that he understands constituent services. He knows how to look someone in the eye and talk about issues, and not just talk about policy, but deliver a real solution for somebody. That's exactly what New Hampshire needs."

Hansel, 36, is running in the state's 2nd Congressional District, a seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster, who is seeking her sixth term.

One of the main issues Hansel said he hopes to tackle is inflation, along with others that include the economy and border security.

"Gas prices are going up, prices at grocery stores are going up, people's retirement funds are going down," he told The Sentinel. "It's really starting to compromise the quality of life in New Hampshire, and that's a problem."

As for how he plans to navigate other hot issues in Congress, such as legislation on abortion, gun safety and the environment, he said: "New Hampshire in general does really well with those national issues, so I think it's about bringing New Hampshire common sense down to Washington."

Earlier Tuesday, Hansel told WMUR he's running on a pro-choice platform and considers himself an independent voice, separate from the politics of Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement.

Among those at Tuesday's event who plan to vote for him was Peter Remy of Westmoreland. He said the mayor's experience through the pandemic has prepared him for Washington.

"You can see what he's done for the city of Keene ... and keeping everybody safe through COVID," Remy said. "For a young man to jump into being mayor and then having this thing blow up in front of him, I think he handled it with grace."

From Washington St. to Washington, DC?

Hansel's first challenge in making the leap from mayor to congressman will be the Sept. 13 primary.

As the Republican mayor of a deeply Democratic city, Hansel is generally viewed as a moderate, while Bob Burns, another GOP candidate for Kuster's seat, peppers his campaign website and social media with mentions and photos of Trump.

Hansel issued a statement saying he was "shocked and saddened" after Trump supporters staged a violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was attempting to certify Joe Biden's presidential victory.

"Such actions and violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said. "In Southwest New Hampshire, we know how to work together and respect each other even when we disagree. It's important that we live up to that reputation, promote kindness, and focus on protecting the values we share and the important institutions that we all hold dear."

Burns, of Bedford, ran for the same congressional seat in 2018, and finished fourth in the Republican primary with about 16 percent of the vote.

Kuster, of Hopkinton, has $2.4 million in her campaign war chest, according to the Federal Election Commission, while the FEC does not have political finance reports yet for Burns or Hansel.

Now in his second term as mayor, Hansel has voiced support for diversity, equity and inclusion and has said he wants to increase diversity on city boards and commissions.

Two years ago, he attended a Black Lives Matter rally in Keene, saying he wanted to learn more about the problem of discrimination and possible solutions. In the wake of George Floyd's murder, he created an ad-hoc racial justice committee that produced an 11-page report with more than 30 recommendations for making Keene a more equitable and inclusive place.

During his time as mayor, Hansel has worked on the problems of homelessness and the sparsity of workforce housing.

He was appointed by Sununu to the state's Council on Housing Stability, which issued a report last summer calling for New Hampshire to add 13,500 units of housing by 2024.

He has also worked for the renovation and weatherization of older homes and to boost neighborhoods through a program by the city and Southwestern Community Services that he said has raised more than $1 million to improve struggling areas near downtown.

While some Republicans blame inflation on excess federal spending during the pandemic, Keene and Cheshire County have benefited from some of that spending.

Last June, the county received more than $7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, and a second round of funding is expected this summer.

During a February visit to Keene, Kuster met with local officials, members of the business community and representatives of area nonprofits. She touted the ARPA funds the county had received.

"The American Rescue Plan was one of the most consequential pieces of legislation I have voted for in Congress, in part because of the flexibility and support it provided for towns and communities to utilize resources for their specific needs," she said at the time.

Raised in Derry, Hansel went to high school in Plymouth before settling in Keene. He is a co-owner and vice president of Filtrine Manufacturing in Keene. Before becoming mayor, he served on the Keene City Council. He lost a race for the N.H. House in 2014.

Despite redistricting, all of the Monadnock Region continues to fall under the state's 2nd Congressional District.

Rick Green can be reached at 355-8567, or RGreen@keenesentinel.com.

Hunter Oberst can be reached at 355-8564, or hoberst@keenesentinel.com.