New Hampshire Newcomer Maura Sullivan Commits Logo Gaffe in Joining a Congressional Race

We tend not to hear too much about New Hampshire, with the U.S. presidential election cycle’s tabbing of its primary as the first one in the race for the White House arguably being its chief claim to fame. Though the Granite State will not grab its next share of the limelight in that context until January 2020, its residents nonetheless take pride in their political sway and civic engagement, the latter deftly exemplified by their “Live Free or Die” motto. Politics and pride converged Monday when Maura Sullivan, in announcing her candidacy for the state’s First Congressional District vacancy, issued a campaign logo that excised a part of her new state’s southwest corner, drawing rebukes from constituents.

Originally, white space near the second "a" in candidate Maura Sullivan's name intruded on the depiction of New Hampshire. (Image via maurafornh.com)

The Democratic office seeker would bring a very impressive record to the House of Representatives if the inhabitants of the nation’s 41st most populous state were to send her to Washington. Priding herself on her family values, military background and familiarity with America’s political climate—based mainly on her roles in the Obama Administration—Sullivan makes five prominent promises on her website, including “Providing excellent public education” among them. Regardless of the type of tutelage that they have received or want for their children to experience, many dwellers did not need to crack open social studies textbooks to know she had made a mistake on her first try at presenting graphic awareness of her desire “to fight tirelessly on behalf of the people of New Hampshire.”

She and the other would-be replacements for outgoing representative Carol Shea-Porter’s seat have 12 days left to polish their policies before voters head to the polls. And Sullivan, if Facebook comments are credible resources in the never-dull political landscape, has had her declaration met with praise, yet one responder dubbed her a “carpetbagger” since the Portsmouth denizen has lived in New Hampshire only since June. Her being highly familiar with New England through time at Harvard University’s Business and Kennedy schools likely means she is quite familiar with the map representation of New Hampshire, but, nonetheless, the original artistic depiction was missing an all-important sliver whose omission, according to the Boston Globe, put “social media in an uproar.” By Tuesday, though, the correct outline appeared on her site, though the publication stated she did not wish to touch on how the mistake had occurred.

Though issues should remain at the forefront of voters’ minds, errors in promotional materials often resonate with the public. Just last month, Judge Roy Moore, in looking to secure the Senate seat that Alabama has had partially filled since former Senator Jeff Sessions’ February appointment as the U.S. Attorney General under President Donald Trump, became the subject of scrutiny by having “alabamaderservesmoore.com” placed on a bus. Despite the typo, the Republican defeated incumbent senator Luther Strange in a primary runoff and will face Doug Jones, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, in December 12’s special election.

What will be the electorate’s September 11 primary election reaction to the mishap by Sullivan? Will her platform and political ties draw enough renown to send her back to the nation’s capital, or will the outcome serve as a sign that she needs more seasoning as a New Hampshirite? It will be interesting to see how the late summer event will help her map out her future.