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Governor Sununu believes that the Democratic Party intends to have its first primary in a different state, and he calls on the New Hampshire Congressional delegation of Senators Shaheen and Hassan and Representatives Kuster and Pappas, who are all Democrats, to use their influence to preserve New Hampshire’s place as the First in the Nation Primary.
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu responds to a plan by Democratic National Committee which threatens New Hampshire’s place as the First in the Nation Presidential Primary; discusses the plan by the legislature to replace a 23-cent state gas tax holiday for a possible reduction in local property taxes; talks about his $100 million plan to increase low- and middle-income housing in the Granite State; and analyzes the opioid and fentanyl drug problem in New Hampshire.
The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee announced on Wednesday that any state can apply to be the first primary. States have to declare interest by May 6 and complete their application by June 3. The committee will make their decision by July 15.
Governor Sununu feels that the Democratic Party intends to have its first primary in a different state, and he calls on the New Hampshire Congressional delegation of Senators Shaheen and Hassan and Representatives Kuster and Pappas, who are all Democrats, to use their influence to preserve New Hampshire’s place as the First in the Nation Primary.
“The Congressional delegation, they need to do more than Tweet. . . They’ve got to be forceful and use the leverage that they can use on the Democrat side to make sure that their First in the Nation Primary stays in New Hampshire.”
State Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley has announced that passing of the 23-cent state gas was not possible. Instead, there is a proposal to give $28 million from the state budget surplus to local communities to assist in covering retirement expenses for municipal employees.
Governor Sununu would have preferred the gas tax holiday because it would be a direct savings to lower and middle-class families. If this proposed distribution of the surplus passes, depending on the decisions made by local governments taxpayers might have their real estate taxes reduced.
New Hampshire’s growing economy has generated a need for more multi-family homes for low- and middle-income families. The Governor has put forward a plan to divide $100 million in the following way: $40 million to incentivize the local permitting process; $50 million direct funds to developers; and $10 million to update local zoning laws or to demolish rundown buildings.
Governor Sununu says that the opioid and fentanyl drug epidemic in New Hampshire is caused by the open southern border, and he answers critics that not enough has been done to provide treatment by pointing out that treatment beds have greatly increased throughout the state during his time in office.
“We are the only state in the country where overdose deaths have not increased for two years in a row. We are bucking the national trend where you see that overdose are almost doubling.”
The Governor describes the drug problem as a multipart puzzle which is exacerbated by drugs being currently cheap, plentiful, and extremely potent.