Some people have wondered where Jim McLin and his political campaign have been since he was selected to replace Dick Green for the Republican ticket for the District 6 state Senate race.

His Democrat opponent, Jackie Cilley of Barrington , has been spotted with presidential hopefuls, and her political signs dot the district.

Residents don't have to wonder any more about McLin as he made his first official campaign appearance at Arthur's Market and canvassed a portion of Harding Street Sunday afternoon.

Joining him was Christine Todd Whitman, former N.J. governor and federal Environmental Protection Agency administrator for President George W. Bush, who also shook hands and met constituents.

McLin was selected in September by the state Republican Party to run in District 6 — which includes the municipalities of Rochester , Somersworth, Barrington , Nottingham and Madbury — after Green of Rochester became the Pease Development Authority's executive director and moved out of the district to a New Durham lakeside home.

In the typical fashion of "just being himself," McLin said he needed some time to gear up for the November elections and get some signs made.

The longtime Somersworth resident has garnered the support of nationally prominent Whitman because he has pledged to seek nonpartisan solutions to the issues that matter to residents, an ideology Whitman has been traveling extensively to promote.

While many national politicians who are 2008 presidential hopefuls are making appearances in New Hampshire this year, Whitman visited New England to bring greater awareness to the political action committee she formed called It's My Party Too . The committee is intended to help elect moderate Republicans in 2006 and 2008 at all levels of government.

Whitman said she's really focusing her efforts on local and state candidates because they are the people who can truly have the most impact.

"These are all candidates who have agreed to serving the people," she said. "They understand the philosophy with the party is big enough to accommodate people with differing views. And that's why they've agreed that's what they are going to be promoting" in their campaigns.

Whitman said she started the It's My Party Too committee, as well as wrote the book with the same name, because the divisiveness of both Democrats and Republicans who go to extremes is not working.

"You can agree to disagree without being disagreeable, but you don't have to hate somebody because they have a different position on some issue," she said. "It's OK to compromise."

The extremism of both major political parties means good discussion and decision making is not happening in Washington and that is filtering down to the state level.

"I think people have had enough, and I think we all need to understand that the first three words of the constitution are "We the people," Whitman added. "And that means something. It means we have to get involved to take it (our country) back."

Used to being asked about her future political aspirations, Whitman said she does not intend to run for president in 2008 and said her work with the political action committee is not meant to promote any of her personal ambitions.

"You can't go to New Hampshire without people asking you that or are you going to run again," she said. "But you never say never in this business because no one believes you."

Pointing to McLin as well as other state representative candidates Sandy Keans, Patty Dunlap, Julie Brown and state Senate President and candidate Ted Gatsas as they greeted constituents on Harding Street — they chose the quiet neighborhood after Keans noted the streets around Arthur's Market were heavily populated by staunch Democrats — Whitman said the focus has to be on people who want to be involved in the Democratic process.

"This is where you get the people," she said. "These are going to be the ones to step up in the House and Senate" and impact apathetic voters.

McLin said he appreciated Whitman's support, and he would be doing a lot of door-to-door campaigning in the next two weeks.

"I prefer one-on-one interactions with constituents," he said.

He said if elected he will take a hard look at straightening out the issue of education funding while working to prevent any broad-based taxation that will hurt seniors and working families. Having served as Somersworth's mayor for nearly two decades — a city where road improvements always seem to be on hold — he said he'll push for improvements to highway and bridge projects locally and statewide.

He also said he will work with other legislators and health-care providers to offer accessible and affordable health care for more people. He's "studying up" on the USA Springs bottling plant issue but said he does not support the project because of the impact it will have on infrastructure.

Whitman also was in Maine on Saturday and in Hampton, Farmington, Alton and other New Hampshire communities on Sunday before moving on to Vermont today to champion her cause.

McLin will debate with Cilley at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Governor's Inn in Rochester.