RELEASE: Sununu Makes A False Claim About Policy That Allowed Non-Residents to Get Vaccinated

Concord, N.H. -- After public outcry about his administration’s policy of allowing out-of-staters to sign up to get vaccines in New Hampshire, Governor Chris Sununu falsely claimed to the New Hampshire press corps that people were misunderstanding New Hampshire’s policy. Sununu falsely claimed that it was “always our intent” that only New Hampshire residents could receive the COVID vaccine. However, this contradicts a statement by Jake Leon, Sununu’s spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Leon said that the policy “is not new” and that the intention of the vaccine plan that allowed non-residents to get vaccinated was “to make it as easily and efficiently as possible for people in NH to get vaccinated, not to throw up barriers.” Sununu reversed course after public outrage questioning his decision, which comes after he downgraded the priority of teachers in the vaccination process -- ignoring CDC guidelines -- and moved up members of the Ski Patrol. About 90 percent of the homes around the ski resort that Sununu and his family own belong to out-of-staters. “Chris Sununu was caught lying on the record after being called out for pushing a scheme that would have made our vulnerable Granite Staters, teachers, and grocery store workers wait longer for the life-saving COVID vaccine, just so out-of-staters who own property near his ski resort could get it first,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley. “We’ll continue to hold Sununu accountable for using the COVID crisis to benefit his friends and donors over Granite Staters.”

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