#peter silva

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Peter Silva and Igor Lourenço by Ren Haihua for Super Elle China Magazine February 2023

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Democrats' '2013 drop-off problem' manifest in N.H. House special elections

Writing in Real Clear Politics, Sean Trende looks at an issue he describes as "probably the most troubling indicator for Democrats right now," the electoral drop-off in Democratic votes this year compared to the 2012 general election.

Trende analyzed 170 elections held this year for state and federal offices around the country. He calculated that the vote received by Democratic candidates trailed Pres. Obama's vote in the same district by an average of 5.9 percentage points.

The five New Hampshire House special elections held this year showed a similar drop-off in the Democratic vote. In four of the five special elections, Democratic candidates received a smaller share of the vote than Pres. Obama received in 2012. Only Democrat Latha Mangipudi, who bested Pete Silva in Nashua Ward 8, outperformed the president.

The average drop-off for Democratic candidates in the New Hampshire special elections was 7.3 points. In two of the races, Hillsborough District 31 and Sullivan District 4, the Democratic vote trailed Pres. Obama's vote by a whopping 16 points.

"What does this mean for 2014?" asks Trende:

Possibly nothing. There is a lot of football left to be played, the president’s job approval rating could rally significantly, the Democrats could become enthused, and drop-off could become a non-issue. But if that doesn’t happen, Democrats have a real headache coming on.

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Nashua Telegraph: Mangipudi win a triumph over antagonistic and confrontational politics

The editors of the Nashua Telegraph congratulate Latha Mangipudi for her victory over former House Republican Leader Peter Silva in the special election to fill the vacant House seat in Nashua Ward 8.

Silva had made headlines in the campaign when he warned supporters that residents of Indian descent would “be coming out of the woodwork” to vote for Mangipudi, saying “I thought I was in New Delhi” to describe the scene at the polling place on the day of her primary.

Mangipudi's win, they write, was a message from voters condemning the Republican's "antagonistic and confrontational politics:"

And surely Mangipudi had to take a little extra satisfaction by winning nearly 60 percent of the vote after Silva attempted to use her Indian heritage to rally people to vote against her. ...

When criticized for his comments, Silva responded with contempt. He said people offended by his words were the ones at fault because he spoke the truth.

It comes as no surprise, Silva earned his political stripes as majority whip and majority leader under former New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O’Brien, a Republican who led with boundless arrogance.

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Quote of the day: The sea of Marxism

You must be very pleased this morning Ms. Bruce. The sea of Marxism laps that much closer to the rocky shores of the granite state.

-- Former state House Rep. Steven J. Connolly, on Susan Bruce's report describing the win by Democrat Latha Mangipudi over former House Republican Leader Peter Silva in the Nashua Ward 8 special election.

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Shorter Peter Silva: Vote for the white guy

Former state House Majority Leader Peter Silva, the Republican nominee in the upcoming special election for Nashua Ward 8, is attempting to fire up his base by warning them about his opponent's Indian ancestry. The Telegraph has the story:

In what he later called an attempt to convince Republican voters to take the upcoming election seriously, Silva predicted Mangipudi could benefit from a large turnout of Indian voters, saying “they’ll be coming out of the woodwork” on voting day, Nov. 5.

Silva referenced the Sept. 17 primary, in which Mangipudi and Carl Andrade faced off for the Democratic nomination. “I thought I was in New Delhi,” he said, emphasizing the large turnout of Indian voters at the ward polling place, Bicentennial Elementary School.

Mangipudi and her family are of Indian descent, and Ward 8, which is Hillsborough County House District 35, is home to a large population of residents of Asian and Indian descent.

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Pete Silva, immortalized as 'bloviating buffoon' by fellow Republican, enters N.H. House race

In February, Miscellany Blue reported on efforts by conservative Republicans to recruit former Majority Leader Pete Silva to run for the Hillsborough County District 35 House seat vacated by Democrat Roland LaPlante.

Today, the Nashua Telegraph reports Silva will, in fact, contest the special election that will take place in Nashua Ward 8.

In 2012, Silva was immortalized by a fellow Republican as a "Grade A, Class One, Top Tier, bloviating BUFFOON." Former Rep. Jon Richardson (R-Allenstown) blasted Silva in an email to GOP House members after Silva publicly attacked Republicans who voted against the education funding amendment.

On the Democratic side, former alderman Carl Andrade and former Board of Education member Latha Mangipudi have entered the race. The primary will be held on September 17 with the winners advancing to a special election on November 5.

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GOP conservatives plot return of 'bloviating buffoon'

When state Rep. Roland LaPlante (D-Nashua) announced his resignation from the New Hampshire House, archconservative Republicans moved quickly to bring back one of their own, former Majority Leader Peter Silva.

Rep. Al Baldasaro (R-Londonderry), co-chair of the conservative House Republican Alliance, posted a message on Silva's Facebook page asking for a public show of support:

Mr. Majority Leader, you ready to get back in the game? Rumor has it that a Rep from your district resigned, am I correct?

LIKE, if you think Honorable Pete Silva should run for the open seat?

Those who "Liked" the message include former House Speaker Bill O'Brien (R-Mont Vernon), state Reps. John Burt (R-Goffstown), Regina Birdsell (R-Hamstead), Peter Hansen (R-Amherst) and Gary Hopper (R-Weare). Former Republican state Reps. Spec Bowers, Bob Giuda and Paul LaCasse also signaled their support.

Silva, you may remember, replaced D.J. Bettencourt as Majority Leader last year near the end of the session after Bettencourt resigned in disgrace following an academic scandal.

The new Majority Leader was then immortalized in an email sent by fellow Republican state Rep. Jon Richardson that blasted him as a "Grade A, Class One, Top Tier, bloviating BUFFOON."

Richardson's email was a response to Silva publicly criticizing Republican lawmakers who voted against an educational funding amendment that had been favored by the GOP leadership.