The U.S. House District 2 race pits incumbent Democrat Paul Hodes against GOP challenger Jennifer Horn.

Hodes leads Horn 48 percent to 26 percent, with 25 percent of voters still undecided, according to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll earlier this week.

Hodes, 57, of Concord was elected to Congress in 2006, defeating GOP incumbent Charlie Bass.

Looking back on his first term, he said he is most proud of his service to New Hampshire citizens, translating their concerns into action in Washington, D.C.

He said a prime example of that service is Michelle's Law, which was recently signed into law. The legislation was inspired by the memory of former Plymouth State University student Michelle Morse, who remained in school in order to qualify for health insurance and treatment for colon cancer.

The new law allows a seriously ill college student to take up to one year of medical leave without losing their health insurance.

Hodes said he worked closely with Michelle's mother, Anne Marie Morse, to get the bill passed.

Hodes, of Concord, married with two children, said voters should return him to office because he has stood up for regular people, including veterans in need of better health care, and he helped pass ethics reform.

"I have stood up for people of New Hampshire every day as an independent voice and to change business as usual," he said.

Horn, a 44-year-old former columnist and radio show host, said she wants to go to Washington, D.C., to clean up the mess caused by the influence of special interests.

Washington needs community-minded problem-solvers, not gridlock, she said.

"Washington is too big, too corrupt, too controlled by special interests," Horn said.

Horn, a married mother of five children, has not held elected public office. But she pointed to her years of community service, volunteering at hospitals and on behalf of children.

She said she favors term limits and would voluntarily leave office after serving too long. She didn't specify how long, but said it would probably be between eight and 12 years.

Horn, of Nashua, was highly critical of Hodes, saying he sits on the Financial Services Committee yet accepted $145,000 in contributions from people he is charged with overseeing.

"He looked the other way," she said.

Hodes responded that if he was in the pocket of financial services people he would not have voted twice against the federal bailout program, and stood up against abusive practices in the credit card industry.