Ten years ago, Republican gubernatorial nominee Mitt Romney reached out to independent voters in Massachusetts by saying, "If you want to sweep out the patronage and mismanagement, come join us."

Two nights ago in Manchester, Romney made a similar appeal for swing voters to hitch onto his Republican presidential campaign. "In the days ahead, join me, join me in the next step toward that destination of November 6th...," Romney said.

Say what you will about his politics and personality, Romney is also a problem solver who studies what works and junks what doesn't. And Romney may draw from his experience a decade ago in solving a problem he faced then, and now -- a gender gap with female voters. » Read more

Executive Councilor Ray Burton may be getting a political separation from the Lebanon-Hanover area after all.

The New Hampshire Senate yesterday approved a redistricting plan that would carve out much of southern Grafton County and Sullivan County from Burton’s District 1 seat, putting them instead in a District 2 seat that also includes Democratic-leaning cities such as Concord and Keene.

The plan still has to be reconciled with the House version that made far fewer changes, and which Burton supports. It kept most of his North Country district intact, though took out Charlestown and added some New London-area towns.

“My number one choice is the council district map that came out of the process that went through the House of Representatives,” Burton, a 34-year-incumbent, said last night. » Read more

With a new USA Today/Gallup Poll showing President Obama has opened up a lead over Mitt Romney among independents and women in 12 key swing states, including New Hampshire, Republicans rolled out one of their big weapons on television.

That would be U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who isn’t a white balding male; has two young children herself; and can put a coherent sentence together.

Ayotte appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program yesterday to rebut arguments that Republicans are waging a “war on women” over contraception, abortion rights and related issues and losing support because of it. » Read more

There was good news for doctors, bad news for trial lawyers out of Concord yesterday. The state Senate on an 18-5 vote yesterday passed a tort reform bill that could cut down on costly medical malpractice lawsuits by offering an alternative path for injured patients.

“By creating an ‘early offer’ mechanism, patients may resolve their claims in a matter of months rather than years of costly litigation. This legislation also reduces uncertainly and anxiety for providers who fear drawn-out lawsuits,” Senate Republican Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, the chief sponsor of the measure, said in a statement. » Read more

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., yesterday highlighted his efforts to find consensus in a highly polarized Washington, saying Democrats and Republicans need to find “practical solutions that have to be bipartisan.”

In a speech to the Woodstock Rotary Club, Welch said his work building a bipartisan, 45-member “Irene coalition” to secure disaster-relief funding after last August’s storm was the type of approach that is required.

“We need a problem-solving, practical approach where there is mutual respect,” said the Hartland Democrat, who also said reducing the $15 trillion national debt is vital. » Read more

For most teenagers, knowing the names of all the presidential candidates and registering to vote when they turn 18 are statements of solid political activity.

But for at least two teenagers and one college student from the Upper Valley, political activism has involved doling out some noteworthy campaign contributions.

The daughter of one of the Democratic Party’s top fundraisers donated a total of $20,000 to the Democratic National Committee and President Obama’s re-election campaign before she even turned 18, according to Federal Election Commission records.

And two siblings from Hanover are listed as giving $1,000 apiece to Republican Rick Perry at a fundraiser hosted by their father, a prominent GOP donor. » Read more

Vermont voters taking a GOP ballot on Tuesday have a small role to play in the Republican presidential sweepstakes, but some Upper Valley Republicans are showing only limited enthusiasm about the field of candidates.

Windsor County GOP Chairwoman Suzanne Butterfield, a normally enthusiastic party loyalist, said she has resisted calls from establishment Republicans in Montpelier to endorse Mitt Romney, though she thinks the former Massachusetts governor will win the Super Tuesday contest in the Green Mountain State.

“I think Vermont being Vermont, while there are some Tea Party factions that will support Ron Paul, I think Romney is going to take the primary in Vermont,” Butterfield said. “There’s detractors about all of them, but there are strong points with all of them too.” » Read more

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has somehow made the Republican race for president something to really watch again.

In a national New York Times/CBS poll released Tuesday, he’s leading Mitt Romney 30 percent to 27 percent, and has opened up a wider lead in Michigan, which votes on Feb. 28 and where Romney’s late father was once governor.

Plainfield Republican Town Chairwoman Margaret Drye, a Santorum supporter, said he has peaked at the right time. » Read more

Some big-time political donors with Upper Valley ties have been busy, although at least one frittered away some money on a fellow Texan’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records released this week.

For starters, at least two Dartmouth College trustees proved to be sugar daddies for those Super PACs that have played a major role in the Republican presidential primary.

Steven Roth, chairman and CEO of New York-based Vornado Realty Trust, gave $100,000 in November to Restore Our Future, the Super PAC behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

And another Dartmouth trustee, Trevor Rees-Jones, the Dallas-based CEO of Chief Oil and Gas, threw away $100,000 on Make Us Great Again, the Super PAC that was behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s oopsie-doopsie campaign. » Read more