Hemingway Launches 100 NH Ideas

Andrew Hemingway, a Republican candidate for governor, has launched a new effort to solicit solutions to the state’s pressing needs and problems by asking voters to share ideas and concepts directly with the campaign.

The idea is called “100 NH Ideas,” and Hemingway hopes that it will be a boon of new initiatives that can be used to move the state forward.

“I want to hear from the public, from elected officials – at the state, county and local level – from business owners, workers, students … from anyone with a stake in this state,” he noted in a statement. “We need to bring back a sense of partnership with all these entities.”

The campaign readily admitted that Hemingway came up with the idea after reading about something similar proposed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, that was mentioned in a recent biography, “The Called Him Giant Slayer,” by J.A. McClure. In the book, it was noted that Rubio created a program called "100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future," which allowed the public to offer ideas about changes they would like to see in the way the state was doing business or offering programs. The next day, Hemingway met with his campaign team and said, “Let’s do this.” The idea, the campaign stated, was an extension of something he was already doing – listening to voters from around the Granite State and hearing their ideas for the future.

“I want to rejuvenate New Hampshire and the best ideas from across the state to be part of the comeback,” Hemingway said. “Who knows better what we need to fix than those who live, work and play here?”

The ideas will be collected and disseminated throughout the campaign cycle and the Top 100 will be published in a booklet for everyone in the government and public to review, according to spokesperson Alicia Preston. Ideas can be submitted in three ways: online at 100nhideas.com, on Twitter by typing up the idea to @hemingway4gov with the hashtag #100nhideas, or by mailing in a pre-designed postcard to the campaign at Hemingway for Governor, 1850 Elm St., Manchester, NH 03104.

Check out all the Campaign 2014 posts and stories online in the Patch Elections section.