New Hampshire Democrats are trying to scare voters into thinking Ovide Lamontagne is some kind of radical. It is the same plan of attack they are using against mild-mannered moderate Republican Charlie Bass. It is laughable.

In the Republican primary, Lamontagne was asked whether he would govern more like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who famously had to endure a recall election for standing up to his state’s public employee unions, or Gov. John Lynch. Lamontagne’s opponent answered quickly: Scott Walker. Lamontagne said he’d be more like a “Scott Lynch.” That is, like Walker, he would push for state budget reforms, including changes to state employee contracts; and like Lynch, he would be open and accessible to the people and listen to all sides. He has said all along that he would check his party registration at the door and work hard to be a governor for all of New Hampshire.

That’s right, in a Republican primary, Lamontagne said that he would listen to Democrats and not necessarily follow the Republican line. He even opposed some of this past session’s legislative budget cuts, which are quite popular among Republican primary voters. Democrats, though, say he’d be an “extremist.” They take out of context Lamontagne’s comment, made about state employee contracts, that he would be “Scott Walker on steroids” and claim falsely that he would dismantle state government. That’s a funny claim to make about a guy who said his own party cut too much in the last budget.

Democrats know Ovide is no Tea Party torch-bearer, but they know that if they make that accusation enough, you just might buy it. It’s what liberals do when their own candidate is so left-wing that she can’t win on her own merits.

What kind of governor would Ovide Lamontagne be? He would be the kind New Hampshire needs.