Thomas Oppel
Thomas Patrick Oppel is an American politician, consultant, and former journalist. He is currently a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the Grafton 9th district representing Canaan, Dorchester, and Orange. A resident of Canaan, New Hampshire, since 2000, Oppel is the secretary of the Canaan Planning Board, of which he has been a member since 2021, and was previously a board member from 2005 to 2007. He is also the chair of the Canaan Economic Development Committee.Biography
Oppel received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Seton Hall University with a minor in psychology and a teaching certificate in secondary education. He later attended Dartmouth College. Oppel began his career as a political journalist for United Press International and several newspapers in New England and the South. He was also an English teacher in Hudson, New Hampshire. He was the press secretary for Mike Espy's successful congressional campaign. Before founding his own communications firm in 2003, Oppel was a partner in a Washington-based media consulting firm. Oppel was the chief of staff to the United States Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, during President Barack Obama's administration. Oppel defeated Kevin Howard in the 2024 New Hampshire House of Representatives election for the Grafton 9th district.Political positions
Oppel is opposed to the establishment of a state income tax and sales tax.Electoral history