O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
This year’s election features a slate of races that will shape the future of New Hampshire, and just one month from today, on September 10th, Granite Staters will be heading to the polls to vote in primary elections for state office.
We are working around the clock to regain a Democratic majority in the State Legislature. But for any Democratic majority to be successful in protecting reproductive freedom, delivering access to quality public education, and ensuring more affordable living conditions for all Granite Staters, we need someone in the corner office who will effectively collaborate with us on those efforts. That is why we must defeat the Republican nominee – either Kelly Ayotte or Chuck Morse – in the race for governor this fall.
Ayotte and Morse are familiar faces in New Hampshire, but not in the way they’d hope. Both were rejected by voters the last time they ran statewide. Unfortunately, both candidates’ takeaways from their defeats seem to be that this time around, their campaign needs to pander to the most fringe elements of their party, while attempting to mislead voters about their extreme stances and problematic records.
Chuck Morse’s extreme anti-choice record speaks for itself. He was the “key architect” of the first abortion ban in modern New Hampshire history, which made no exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomalies. He also voted to defund Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, the largest provider of reproductive healthcare services in New Hampshire.
In Kelly Ayotte’s case, knowing that Granite Staters do not approve of her career-long effort to roll back reproductive rights, she has spent months trying to mislead voters about her record and trick us into thinking she doesn’t pose a threat to women’s ability to make our own reproductive healthcare decisions.
During her time in the U.S. Senate, Ayotte was one of Mitch McConnell’s “Three Amigos” on critical policy issues and spearheaded Republicans’ anti-choice efforts. Believing that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided, she led the charge and voted for a national abortion ban. She also supported an array of other dangerous measures, including an amendment which would’ve allowed insurers and employers to deny coverage of birth control, IVF treatments, and more.
After she was voted out of office, Ayotte then built upon her anti-choice push by guiding Neil Gorsuch through the Senate, helping him get appointed to the Supreme Court where he could later sign off on the overturning of Roe with no hesitation.
Now, as a candidate for governor, she’s pledging to defund the largest reproductive healthcare provider in the state, which is already facing a multimillion dollar deficit caused by the anti-choice push of our Governor and Council. Our reproductive healthcare providers serve individuals across the state, and the closing of these vital facilities could harm access to critical healthcare services that our residents depend on.
Ayotte’s deception on her extensive anti-choice record is disturbing given the heightened significance of protecting reproductive freedom following the Dobbs decision, but it also serves as an important reminder of who Ayotte is more broadly. Granite Staters want elected leaders who will be honest with them about where they stand, while also standing up for their convictions. Time and again, Ayotte has shown that she will do neither, but instead let whatever she believes to be in her political interest dictate her stance on any given issue at any given moment.
That approach is disqualifying for anyone trying to be our state’s next governor, but especially during the time in which we now find ourselves in. Granite Staters face real problems that need solving. Since 2018, the median price for a single-family home in New Hampshire has risen by over 80%, and more and more voters that I meet express their concern about how they’ll afford the cost of health care expenses and other essential services.
As some Republicans both nationally and here in New Hampshire seem exceedingly concerned with waging culture wars and pushing extreme policies, Ayotte and Morse have shown themselves to be politicians that cave to the political trends within their party, not leaders who will act decisively and maintain focus on the issues that matter most.
There is still a lot to be decided between now and primary day, but one thing is crystal clear: Granite Staters cannot trust Kelly Ayotte or Chuck Morse to be an effective governor for the people, but rather a self-interested enabler that caves to the extremist ideals of the MAGA movement.
State Sen. Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua) is deputy Democratic leader.
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