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Governor Sununu on Maggie Hassan’s support of the voting rights bill:
“No one in this state wants Washington to have more control over our elections. No way, man! This is New Hampshire, and we do it better than anyone else!”
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu discusses the recent surge of COVID cases which are mainly affecting the unvaccinated; examines the reasons why individuals have resisted being vaccinated; after eighteen months of battling COVID, weighs his options for mask or vaccine mandates; and reacts vociferously to Senator Hassan’s speech calling for suspending the filibuster rule in order to pass a voting rights bill.
Governor Sununu spoke, at length, about how 80% of the intensive care units in the Granite State’s hospitals are filled with unvaccinated patients, and he explained the strain that these COVID patients cause on the ICUs.
“When you are in the ICU as a COVID patient, you might be there for five or six weeks. If you have a stroke or a heart attack, you’re there five or six days. An ICU bed is not equal in the eyes of COVID. It’s so much more of a burden in terms of how we manage it in our ICUs.”
According to Governor Sununu, the individuals who have refused to be vaccinated come from varied backgrounds. Some have a valid reason because they are immunocompromised, but others have an unsubstantiated fear that the vaccine will cause complications for a future pregnancy.
The Governor encourages unvaccinated individuals who still have concerns about the vaccine to discuss the matter with their health care professional because the delta variant is ravaging the unvaccinated segment of the population.
With the surge in COVID cases coming after eighteen months of battling this pandemic, Governor Sununu explains his thought processes and weighs his options: declare a state of emergency; impose a mask mandate; or enforce mandatory vaccinations.
Governor Sununu points out that states which have had the tightest restrictions are experiencing high numbers of COVID cases. For that reason, the Governor prefers to maintain the pre-COVID liberties of individuals and businesses by encouraging vaccinations and boosters and beefing up capacity in our hospitals.
“We’re asking people to be smart and responsible. There’s going to be a spike over the next few weeks, then, hopefully, a downward trend through the months of January and February.”
In a speech on the floor of the Senate, Maggie Hassan announced that she will support an effort to sidestep the Senate’s filibuster rules in order to pass voting rights legislation which will give the federal government more control of the election process.
The Senate filibuster rule requires 60 Senators to vote for a bill be considered.Currently, the Senate is evenly divided with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, so it is difficult to move any legislation.
Governor Sununu was outraged by Senator Hassan’s reversal of her position on the Senate’s filibuster rule and the possible effects of the proposed voting rights bill on elections in New Hampshire. It seemed possible that he might reconsider running against her.
The Governor recounted the 300 times that Senator Hassan has used the filibuster rule and has even written in support of its use. Governor Sununu questioned Maggie Hassan’s moral compass and stated that she just follows orders from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“No one in this state wants Washington to have more control over our elections. No way, man! This is New Hampshire, and we do it better than anyone else!”