Some Republicans disappointed with Governor Craig Benson have launched a write-in campaign for Republican state Senator Dick Green.
With no money and no staff, organizers however, have less than three weeks to attract fellow disgruntled Republicans.
Certain GOP circles welcome the opportunity to register a protest vote for governor.
But many in the party just dismiss the fledgling campaign as something that is going nowhere fast.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein reports.
Lead organizer and Write-in campaign spokesperson Mary Bonser really respects Senator Dick Green.
She describes her senator as dependable, trustworthy, decent and good on fiscal matters.
To Bonser, Green is everything Governor Craig Benson isn't.
She believes Benson is interested in only one thing: himself.
:44 ...The reason he is dismantling and gutting services is not for some high ideal utopian ideal where individual reigns supreme. B. is dismantling our government where he and his cronies can plunder our state for money, it's just that simple.
As proof, Bonser cites various ethics scandals that have plagued the governor's administration.
Where Benson appointments or volunteers have appeared to benefit from their positions.
10:53 (is the write in going to win) we have no choice. We have no choice. NH is in serious trouble and we can not take another two minutes, let alone another two years. I fear for the NH advantage. I fear for the NH environment.
Bonser keeps people updated on the campaign through emails.
Recently, she says she's received a few invitations to speak and been quoted in the press.
Moderate Republican state Representative Liz Hager wishes the Green write-in had two more months to ramp up.
The Concord state rep. has already pledged support to Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Lynch.
But Hager says, like many registered Republicans, she can only vote in the Republican Primary on September 14th.
She says she's really glad to have such an option.
1:58 ... more and more D, R, and I, looking for alternative. An alternative for voting R. on primary day is to write in the same name, which is Dick Green's.
Republican political consultant David Carney says he doesn't even know what the write-in campaign stands for.
He ticks off what a serious write-in campaign needs to do for a chance to win.
Organization, policy, talking points, ads, money and support.
3:36...every waking hour, from now until the 14th, you are going to spend 380 hours, how are you going to possibly could you humanly do something that will have an impact. It's ridiculous, it's a joke. I'm not saying their intent is, I'm just saying it's not feasible to communicate to 40-60 thousand voters that you need to have vote for you.
7:02 I'm not unrealistic about this. I know a write in campaign is a long shot.
State senator Dick Green.
...But I think for the people who are dissatisfied, it is an opportunity and an outlet to express their bad feelings about the situation.
But Republicans do have an option.
They can vote for Republican Charles Tarbell who is actually on the ballot.
Earlier this year, Green decided against running his own campaign for governor.
He knew he couldn't compete with Benson's was chest.
He says if the write-in effort somehow succeeds, he will abandon his race for senate.
But if there is some groundswell of support for the Rochester Senator, it's pretty quiet.
Campaign spokesperson Mary Bonser explains that's because many supporters prefer to stay behind the scenes.
She reports many people tell her, they solidly support her effort, but they are afraid of reprisals from the governor.
So instead, Greeniacs have adopted a code of sorts.
16:05 it's a round green button. It doesn't say a thing. It's kind of our secret. It's our secret that we are supporters of Dick Green, b/c people are afraid to come out and say we support Dick Green. But we all have these little green buttons on.
Given the political reality that few people know who Dick Green is, and that there is no formal advertising campaign, isn't it time people come out of the closet?
16:56 the time we come out with the strong support for senator Green is when we go into that booth and we have that ballot in our hand, and we have that pencil, and you write in for governor Dick Green. That's when it happens. It's going to be national news on the 15th of September.
Bonser is convinced she and other Green supporters will be part of history after the upcoming primary.
But many Republicans just don't agree.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Clegg best summed up what many GOP activists thought about Bonser's initiative.
1:46 most of them don't even know there is a write in campaign...that sort of says it all.
For NHPR News, I'm DG.
