Peggy Gilmour will be making a bid this year for her old Senate seat, which she lost in a nail-biter to incumbent Kevin Avard in 2014.
Gilmour, a Hollis resident who would be the representative of Senate District 12, which includes New Ipswich, Rindge and Mason, has held the seat twice before, both times ousted by Republican challengers. After a close race in 2014, she said she’s ready to try again.
Gilmour, a nurse, said her voice is needed in the Legislature.
“One of my motivations to run again is that that expertise is really missing right now,” said Gilmour. “I was that go-to person, especially when it came to talking about how to get access to the people that couldn’t get health insurance.” Gilmour was involved in designing the Medicaid expansion program, a plan now in the spotlight.
“It’s the same fight, different year,” said Gilmour. “I think that I would bring some expertise in how that’s working and what changes, if any, need to be made to make it work for the people using it.”
Her experience is also an advantage when it comes to dealing with the state’s opioid crisis. “I see it as a public health issue that needs to be worked on from many fronts,” she said. Gilmour added that the state needs to bolster its workforce by aligning its higher education needs with the state’s business needs.
Another key issue: The proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline, which would impact several District 12 towns. “There are some things that we can do at the state level that assure that our energy needs are being met, and met in a way that makes sense for New Hampshire.”