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Concord, N.H. - Sununu's NHGOP celebrates their backward priorities behind closed doors Today, the New Hampshire Republican Party held a closed-door convention, mirroring the erosion of press access the Trump's administration has sadly become famous for in the last year and a half. While Governor Sununu's NHGOP has chosen to keep their business -- the people's business -- a secret, their radical record & over-the-top rhetoric have made New Hampshire Republican priorities quite clear.
NHDP Chair Ray Buckley issued the following statement:
"In the last two years, Governor Sununu and the New Hampshire Republicans have cast aside working families and New Hampshire values to put corporate special interests and partisanship atop their list of priorities. They have made a nasty habit of defending Donald Trump's worst behavior instead of looking out for their constituents. They have embraced an 'all secrets and no apologies' style of governing that does nothing but protect the people in power. For those reasons, the NHGOP is facing a blue wave in November, and rightfully so. New Hampshire is sick and tired of their antics."
See below for a recap of the NHGOP's backward priorities in the Trump era: So-called Right to Work - Chris Sununu began his governorship by trying to implement the union-busting so-called Right to Work bill, being rebuffed by his own party in the process because of his inability to lead. Permitless Concealed Carry - Republicans worked in concert to pass concealed carry, which New Hampshire Police Chiefs have called "dangerous." They have chosen to relax gun laws in the midst of one tragic mass shooting after another as Granite Staters clamor for their elected leaders to pass common sense gun reform. Corporate Tax Cuts - Governor Sununu then listened to his corporate special interest donors by passing a budget that gave over $100 million in tax cuts to the wealthiest 3% of corporations, shortchanging the opioid crisis, DCYF and workforce development funding while failing to freeze college tuition. Restrictive Voting Laws - After spreading the same voter fraud myth as Donald Trump, Governor Sununu signed a voter suppression law that would lengthen lines at the polls, subject registrants to rigorous post-voting paperwork, and send police officers knocking at your door to verify information. NHDP is challenging this law in court, and the court has already temporarily suspended the penalties associated with the law. Rejection of Civil Rights Advances - In 2017, a triad of civil rights bills were rejected by New Hampshire Republicans as Governor Sununu stood idly by, revealing the moral deficiencies running through today's Republican Party. Attempts to end transgender inequality, conversion therapy, and child marriage were all shot down. Thanks to a vast majority of Democrats and a slim minority of Republicans, these initiatives were all successful in 2018. More Restrictive Voting Bills - New Hampshire Republicans also had an inauspicious start to 2018, attempting to restrict voting by creating a modern day poll tax as their first priority of the new session. While Sununu unwittingly came out against the bill at first, he quickly backtracked after meeting with legislative Republicans. Sununu started adding caveats to his opposition and opening his mind to the possibility of a favorable version. As the bill sits on his desk, the governor has still yet to promise a veto, instead asking the state Supreme Court to bail him out. Killing Paid Family Leave - After making a campaign promise to support paid family leave, Governor Sununu backtracked on his position upon getting an earful from the Koch Brothers. The bill, supported by 82% of Granite Staters, would've made it so that working families no longer had to choose between taking home a paycheck and taking care of a loved one. Sununu argued falsely that this amounted to an income tax (it didn't), and promised to veto the bill after making no effort to get to "yes" on the legislation he previously supported. Unconstitutional School Vouchers - Governor Sununu made school vouchers his top priority of the session. His original proposal was slated to steal $266 million from public schools to give to private, religious and parochial schools. It would've given another $53 million to current private school students. If that wasn't outrageous enough, the bill was likely unconstitutional and would've given taxpayer money to schools that are unaccountable to state and national standards and equality laws. Sununu's bill died three times at the hand of his own party after he just couldn't give up on the bill nobody wanted to pass. In Trump They Trust - Sununu's NHGOP has celebrated and apologized for Trump's worst behavior since he took office. Nothing was more indicative of their blind support for Trump than the NHGOP throwing him a birthday party, cake and all, but rivaling that is the frequency with which they welcome Trump's most controversial officials, from Betsy DeVos to Kellyanne Conway to Scott Pruitt to Corey Lewandowski to Tom Price to Ryan Zinke. Governor Sununu has been Trump's biggest cheerleader and apologist, visiting the White House 10 times in his first 13 months and backing Trump on the Mulsim Ban, ACA repeal, the Republican tax plan, and anti-climate initiatives while excusing his sexual assault allegations, opioid inaction, Charlottesville comments, criticism of the intelligence community & the special counsel, dangerous foreign policy rhetoric, and Trump's characterization of New Hampshire as a 'drug-infested den.' Sununu embraced Trump when he came to New Hampshire in March, and then warmly welcomed Mike Pence upon his visit to the state to fundraise for the governor.
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