'Tough' Cilley Differentiates Herself from Hassan [VIDEO]

BEDFORD – Jerry Hanauer had never earned less than an 'A' in a graduate course.

That was, of course, until he walked into Jackie Cilley's classroom.

Hanauer worked as hard as he could, and got a 'B+' (see attached video).

"She's tough," said Hanauer, now the chairman of the Bedford Democratic Party.

But it's more than Cilley's toughness that earned Hanauer's support in the Sept. 11 state gubernatorial primary election.

"It's her business background and her reluctance, or refusal, to take any pledges, other than to the (NH) electorate," he said.

While speaking to a couple dozen local Democrats at a meet-and-greet at The Copper Door in Bedford yesterday, Cilley focused on those two subjects, in addition to general life experience and values, when she was asked what differentiated her from her chief primary opponent, former New Hampshire Senate-mate Maggie Hassan.

In addition, she was asked to explain why she voted against three major bills in which Hassan cast an affirmative nod. Those three bills, which Cilley explains in an attached video above, involved a mandatory seat belt law, banning smoking in restaurants and vanquishing predatory lenders.

Cilley also discussed why she supports, but is cautious about, expanded gambling in communities such as Hudson, Pelham and Salem, and why she didn't think the current legislature should have changed the Granite State's gun laws, which she said '"where perfectly fine as they were."

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