Congressional candidate Maggie Goodlander and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were in Hollis for a campaign event on Oct. 23. Courtesy photo

HOLLIS – U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) recently went before a crowd of 150 residents at the Lawrence Community Barn to reinforce his support for Democratic Congressional candidate Maggie Goodlander.

“This opportunity is in front of us to elect Maggie, who is a patriotic leader, a principled leader, a people-oriented leader,” Jeffries said during the Oct. 23 campaign event. “She’s an extraordinary public servant, a people-oriented leader, a patriotic leader and a principled leader who will govern with compassion and common sense.”

He also spoke about the state of corruption that has gripped the U.S. Supreme Court.

“If Roe v. Wade can fall, then anything can fall. Roe v. Wade was a settled precedent. We were told by judges who came before the United States Senate, swore an oath and said Roe v. Wade was a settled precedent,” said Jeffries. “Then the first opportunity that the extremists on the Supreme Court got, they ripped away reproductive freedom for the women of America. If Roe v. Wade can fall, then anything can fall. Social Security can fall. Medicare can fall. The Affordable Care Act can fall. Democracy itself has to win.”

Addressing the crowd, Goodlander underscored the importance of electing Democrats on Nov. 5.

“We’ve got to send Beng Ming to the New Hampshire Senate, we’ve got to send Nashua’s own Cindy Rosenwald back to the New Hampshire Senate and we’ve got to take back the New Hampshire House, we’ve got to do it,” she said. “We’ve got to get Matt Wilhelm, as Speaker Wilhelm, and that’s not all. We’ve got to take back the United States House of Representatives, the people’s house.”

Goodlander knew Jeffries when he was one of the attorneys on the House team during Trump’s first impeachment trial.

“Leader Jeffries has been one of my heroes for a long time and I’m working really hard to make sure that we make him speaker of the House,” she said. “He is an extraordinary communicator, he loves our Constitution and he would be an extraordinary leader in the people’s house.”

She said that with Jeffries at the helm, he would approve an agenda that would include nationwide abortion rights, greater investments in renewable energy, affordable housing and childcare vouchers.

As of Oct. 3, the state poll from St. Anselm College showed Goodlander with 50 percent of the vote and her opponent, Republican Lily Tang Williams, with 38 percent.