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Three candidates are on the ballot for two House seats in Merrimack County District 27, a floterial district that includes Concord Wards 1 through 7.

State Reps. Chip Rice and Mary Stuart Gile are both seeking re-election on the Democratic ticket. Their opponent, Democrat-turned-Republican Jim McConaha, is making his first bid for elected office.

Jim McConaha

Earlier this year, Jim McConaha tried to recruit Republican candidates to run for state representative in Concord.

It worked.

I think I talked myself into it, said McConaha, 73.

McConaha was once a registered Democrat, but he began listing himself as undeclared several years ago. This year, he said he officially registered as a Republican and filed for election in Concord. All of Concords 15 seats in the state House of Representatives are held by Democrats.

We have a fairly wide range of political opinions in the city, and it seemed to me that we would have a more representative delegation from the city if we had maybe some members from the other party, McConaha said.

An Air Force veteran, McConaha has lived in Concord for more than 40 years. He serves on the Concord Heritage Commission, and he worked as the states historic preservation officer and the director of the federal Farm Service Agency. He wants to see more communication between the city and the state, in particular because Concord is home to so much state-owned property.

My intention would be to be an advocate for the city and for its people, McConaha said.

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Democrat-turned-Republican faces 2 incumbents in District 27