Wilson runs against Conway again, but state law may block his path to office

Robert Wilson is running against incumbent Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway for the second time in eleven years. Wilson filed as the Democratic challenger on Tuesday, while Conway, a Republican, seeks re-election in a county that has voted for her in every contest since 2014.

The central question surrounding Wilson’s bid is his legal standing. State law requires candidates for the office to be qualified at the time they file. According to a report from the New Hampshire Union Leader on Monday, Wilson is not currently licensed to practice law in New Hampshire. He told InDepthNH in an email exchange that he attended law school and applied for admission to the state bar, but he has not yet received a license.

Wilson declined to provide specific details about his legal education or bar exam results. In emails and a phone call, he did not name the law school where he studied, the year he graduated, or whether he passed the bar in any other state. He is not listed among the candidates who passed the New Hampshire bar exam in July. Other pathways to admission exist, but the Judicial Branch could not confirm if Wilson applied for a license by late Monday afternoon.

The campaign has raised additional questions about its visibility and activity. A search of the state Secretary of State’s campaign finance database shows that Wilson has neither raised nor spent any money to promote his candidacy. The Union Leader reported that it could not find web or social media sites for the campaign and had difficulty reaching Wilson at the UPS mailbox in Portsmouth he listed in his filing.

Wilson expressed frustration with the Union Leader’s coverage, claiming the newspaper failed to contact him properly. In one email, he asked the paper to issue a correction stating that he held a law degree and was in the process of applying to the bar. Managing Editor Dave Pierce said the newspaper would not run a correction because Wilson had not proven any of the reported facts were incorrect. Wilson also asked why he was running against Conway and if he had sought endorsements, but he did not answer those questions.

Lisa DeMio, chair of the Rockingham County Democratic Committee and a candidate for state representative in Hampstead, did not respond to emails asking how the committee vets its candidates. The local party has not publicly addressed Wilson’s eligibility or his lack of visible campaign infrastructure.

Wilson’s history with Conway dates back to a criminal case in 2014. When he was 27, Wilson faced felony criminal threatening and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges. A roommate alleged that Wilson grabbed a chef’s knife during an argument about oven use and threw the roommate’s phone on the floor. Wilson was jailed for several months before being released on personal recogniance. He dismissed three attorneys in succession before deciding to represent himself at trial in 2015.

During the trial, Wilson told jurors that while he argued with his roommates, he did not wield a knife. He also asked the jury to consider whether racial bias influenced police reports. The jury found him not guilty of all charges. That victory remains rare for a self-represented criminal defendant. Now, Wilson faces Conway in a general election where the outcome depends on whether voters overlook his lack of a current New Hampshire law license.