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In Case You Missed It, Granite State Republicans are furious after Chris Sununu’s Executive Council voted to oppose $27 million in federal funds for immunizations, making New Hampshire the only state in the country not to use the federal funds. This is the latest example of how Sununu and the NH GOP’s embrace of anti-vaxxer rhetoric and conspiracy theories is making them deeply unpopular with moderates and independents in New Hampshire, which could hurt Sununu and the NH GOP’s political chances in 2022. Concord Monitor: My Turn: Has the New Hampshire GOP lost its way? [...] First, Rep. Ken Weyler as chairperson of the Joint Fiscal Committee used his platform to spread ridiculous misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. Rep. Weyler needs to take a media literacy course. Any 10th-grade high school student can tell you talk radio and chain letter e-mails are not valid sources of information. Second, all Republican members of the Executive Council have recently voted against accepting $27 million to boost vaccinations. Not a single Republican councilor has provided a logical reason for their vote. They are catering to a small, vocal minority of anti-vaccine activists. If they try to pretend their vote was based on fiscal responsibility, that is a lie. Congress has already allocated the funds. Votes like this are giving the Democrats great material for their 2022 campaign ads. What the Republican elected officials need to recognize is that Independent voters decide elections in New Hampshire. As of 2020 in New Hampshire, 30% of registered voters are Republican, 31% are Democrat and 39% are undeclared. As a moderate Republican, I am embarrassed by the absolute disdain some GOP officials are showing for facts. The Republican elected officials are handing the 2022 elections to the Democrats on a silver platter. I wish the party I affiliate with would focus on being good stewards of taxpayer money and not pawns to anti-vaccine extremists. BACKGROUND:
AP: In New Hampshire, Vaccine Fights and Misinformation Roil GOP
Concord Monitor: On The Trail: The Political Fallout From The Vaccine Funding Vote
NHPR: How New Conflict Over N.H.'s Covid-19 Response Deepened Old Divides Within State GOP
NH Primary Source: Executive Council Republicans deal Sununu a political setback
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