Governor Sununu has threatened to veto the GOP election maps that have passed the NH Senate and House, because he wants the two districts to be competitive.
“In a state like New Hampshire, we like political competition. We like forcing constituent services. We like forcing those issues.”
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu discusses his threatened veto of the Congressional district maps; talks about moving the state primary election date from September to an earlier date; gives his support to suspending the state taxes on gasoline and on rooms and meals; and defends the education freedom accounts program.
The New Hampshire Legislature has until June to redraw the election districts in the state based on the results of the 2020 census. It seems that the legislature made the first congressional district a safe district for a Republican candidate and the second district safe for a Democratic candidate.
Another election issue being considered by the legislature is moving the primary date from September to August because it is too close to election day in November. The Governor agrees with the need for more time, but he would prefer a primary date in June rather than during the summer.
The Governor favors suspending the state’s 22 cent gasoline tax; and he believes that gas stations in New Hampshire’s border towns would benefit from a huge influx of business, especially for the items in their convenience stores.
Towns are concerned that they will lose their portion of revenue from the room and meal tax. Governor Sununu is confident that there is money in the budget to reimburse the local governments and that it is more important to decrease the effects of inflation.
Governor Sununu defends the education freedom accounts program by pointing out that his administration has provided a record amount of funding for public schools while also helping families which need a different type of learning program.