It’s not every day you get to say you went to school with Barack Obama. But Democratic New Hampshire State Representative, Timothy Horrigan, has the privilege of saying he did just that. Although they didn’t know each other well, Horrigan and Obama spent a good amount of time in each other’s presence at Columbia University, from writing together for the weekly campus newspaper to attending a few of the same parties.

“I had no idea he was going to be the president,” Horrigan said. “He must have been studying more than I did,” he joked.

But Horrigan has his own history of political successes and hopes to continue them in the upcoming election on Nov. 8, where he is running for re-election to represent the town of Durham in District 10.

If you’re wondering if he might be your candidate of choice, here is everything you need to know about Horrigan…. besides his cool stories of partying with Obama.

A current resident of Durham, Horrigan holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. He later received his M.B.A. in Marketing Management from the University of Southern California. He got into politics due to his long line of family members who were politicians including his father who served Durham, Lee and Madbury in the 1970s as well as being a member of the constitutional convention.

Horrigan has served previously as a Representative in Strafford 7 from 2008 to 2010 when he resigned. That same year, he was elected to represent Strafford 6 and still currently does, but is running for re-election of Strafford 10, which encompasses the Durham area. Here’s where he stands on the issues.

Abortion

When asked about his views on abortion, he said “I definitely believe in the woman’s right to choose.” He added that he feels this should also apply in the third trimester. “The mother should take precedence until the baby’s born,” said Horrigan.

He said he agrees with the Judeo-Christian stance that life begins when you take your first breath, and strongly denounced the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Climate Change

“Coal and oil and gas were burned even when we humans weren’t around,” Horrigan said, although he emphasized that this was in very small amounts. “We’ve done probably hundreds of thousands of years or more worth of fossil fuel burning than would have happened naturally.”

He believes strongly in switching to renewable energy, and said that oil, gas and coal should be saved for where they are absolutely needed, and not just burned for everyday electricity which could easily be accessed for free through solar and wind power, he said.

“One legislative thing that’s probably going to come up that I’m strongly in favor of, is expanding offshore winds. Even though it’s a new technology and it’s not necessarily perfect, the wind is essentially a free resource,” Horrigan said. “The cheapest kilowatt hour is the one that you don’t even burn in the first place.”

He added that he recently took a trip to Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, to admire their wind turbines. 

“It’s a very powerful new technology which we should develop more,” he said.

In addition to exploring wind and solar powered energy, Horrigan emphasized that pushing for more accessibility of electric vehicles is another advancement that he supports towards combating climate change.

“The internal combustion engine has had a good run. I drive a gas guzzling Volvo myself,” he said. “But I think New Hampshire is way behind the curve in terms of bringing in electrical vehicles.”

Gun Safety

“The Republicans’ idea that everybody should be able to have a gun anywhere is totally absurd,” he said.

He compared gun ownership to that of cars, making the point that cars can be a very dangerous instrument when used incorrectly, much like a gun. But with cars, you have to renew them every five years, have them inspected annually, and there are many restrictions on how and where it can be driven and how it is parked.

“I accept that and I understand why it’s necessary,” he said. But he feels that gun ownership should be held to the same standards. “The idea that just anybody can have a gun and be able to carry it around just anywhere is just total nonsense. No other country on the planet tolerates that sort of thing except for maybe the ones that are in a state of total chaos.”

Horrigan said he plans to co-sponsor a variety of gun safety bills and will continue his membership with Gun Sense Voter, an organization that strives to promote candidates who support gun control laws and a future free of gun violence. Horrigan was endorsed by the organization for this election, along with Loren Selig, Maggie Hassan and Chris Pappas, among others.

 UNH and Education

“I want to help UNH out as much as possible,” he said. He noted that New Hampshire has the lowest level of funding for higher education than any other state. “We could double it and we’d still be behind the 49th state, which is Mississippi,” he said.

With that in mind, Horrigan wants to help foster a thriving university for students and support the campus community.

 On Why Students Should Vote For Him

 “I have a very strong commitment to equal rights for all and to preserving our democracy, which is literally under attack.”

 Horrigan said the Jan. 6. Capitol Riot made him realize just how important his job is and gave him more motivation than ever before. He noted that he has dedicated much of his life to politics and even now, 14 years later, is still learning about the government and wants to keep expanding his knowledge and personal growth as a legislator.

 Horrigan has dedicated the better half of his life to local politics. He’s served as the town vice-chair of the Durham Democratic Committee, the city chair for Lebanon, New Hampshire Democratic Committee, been on the campaign staff for other democratic presidential candidates and volunteered for Democracy for America and MoveOn.org.

 He’s represented his local community for 14 years and is passionate to dedicate the next ten years to doing so.  

For students looking for more information on how to vote in the upcoming election on Nov. 8, 603 Forward offers information on their website. Students can also access more information on how to vote by checking out the University of New Hampshire Voting page.