Horn relies on role as mother

Horn relies on role as mother

By ALBERT McKEON, Staff Writer
amckeon@nashuatelegraph.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in an occasional series of stories based on interviews with candidates for federal and state office by The Telegraph editorial board.

Jennifer Horn believes that raising a family of five best qualifies her to serve in Congress.

"When you talk about what the cost of gas does to a family, I can tell you," Horn said Monday in an interview with The Telegraph editorial board.

With this experience, Horn knows the struggles that come with paying rising fuel and food costs while trying to manage five separate college tuition funds, she said.

Horn faces four other Republicans in that party's Sept. 9 primary for the right to challenge Democrat Paul Hodes, the incumbent 2nd District Congressional representative. The challengers are former congressional staffer Grant Bosse, state Sen. Bob Clegg, engineer Alfred L'Eplattenier and lawyer Jim Steiner.

But the 44-year-old former Sunday Telegraph columnist has her sights set on Hodes. In the interview, Horn repeatedly criticized Hodes for what she said was a lack of leadership and for consistently voting in line with the Democratic Party, while effectively dismissing her Republican rivals.

She made one reference to a fellow Republican candidate by disapproving of a new law sponsored by Clegg that requires health insurance companies to cover gastric bypass surgery.

The law reflects the "big government, big mandate" idea of government that many Republicans endorse, she said.

Horn said she supports a limited reach of government, which includes ending bailouts of troubled financial institutions, as seen recently with lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Horn said her past career experiences – working for a health-care company in New York, running a small business, and hosting a talk show on local WSMN-AM radio – plus her job as mother, give her the best grasp of what Congress needs to tackle.

Horn wrote a column for The Sunday Telegraph for several years before entering the race for the 2nd District seat.

Horn said energy is the most important issue facing Congress and the country. Only if treated as three separate issues – as an energy policy, an economic component and as a matter of national security – will national energy independence be achievable, she said.

Horn supports drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve but said those steps won't resolve the energy crisis. The answer also comes through market-based advancements in energy technologies, she said. Horn also backs tax breaks for individuals and companies using alternative forms of energy.

Also on the domestic front, Horn spoke of the need to allow individuals the right to choose health-care plans offered in other states. This free-market approach, as well as a "menu approach" that allows people to pick plans that fit their current health status, would help reform the system, she said. Congress also needs to examine the best ideas offered across the country and implement them, she said.

As for Iraq, Horn said the recent military surge there has brought into sight the gradual drawdown of troops, but she said that day is not near yet.

"For us to take the ball and go home right now would be very detrimental," she said.

Iraq is one part of an important task of fighting a radical ideology, Horn said. Asked if the U.S. military should have invaded Iraq with Afghanistan already a priority, Horn said it would "be incredibly detrimental . . . to become involved in past arguments."

If elected, Horn said she will resist the practice of other lawmakers in earmarking spending for projects in their home states. She said she would have no problem bucking the GOP if her vote conflicted with party sentiment.

Espousing term limits, Horn said the ideal maximum amount of service for a representative should be 12 years, or six terms. A 2006 government report found the average term that year for a member of the House was 9.3 years, or 4.5 terms.Jennifer Horn on the issues OFFICE SOUGHT: U.S. Congress, 2nd District.

AGE: 44.

RESIDENCE: Nashua.

POLITICAL BACKGROUND: None.

OCCUPATION: Former radio talk-show host and columnist for The Telegraph.

EDUCATION: Attended The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y.

AFFILIATIONS: None.

MILITARY EXPERIENCE: None.

PERSONAL: Married, five children.

WEB SITE: jenniferhorn.org.



IRAQ: Supports continued U.S. military presence there until Iraqi government and citizens are stable. Predicts U.S. will stay in country much as it has in Japan after World War II.

ECONOMY/TAXES: Wants to make Bush tax cuts permanent and thinks Americans are better served with balanced budget and less spending.

IMMIGRATION: Supports ending programs that benefit illegal immigrants, thus compelling them to return home and apply for citizenship.

HEALTH CARE: Wants consumers to be able to purchase health-care coverage offered in other states.

ENERGY: Favors offshore drilling and tapping oil reserve of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and tax incentives to citizens and businesses that use alternative energy sources.

Albert McKeon can be reached at 594-5832 or amckeon@nashuatelegraph.com