Here’s the latest news today out of New Hampshire:
After a crowd of disruptive protesters led to the postponement of an Executive Council meeting in New Hampshire in late September, Governor Chris Sununu and councilors returned to the table on Wednesday to discuss the focus of the outbursts: whether to approve vaccination contracts that included millions in federal funding.
But in a scene emblematic of a larger debate over vaccine mandates brewing across the country — from vitriolic attacks against state and health officials to disorderly conduct at local school and town meetings — an unruly group again made an appearance, and the council rejected the funding in a 4-1 party-line vote.
The vote against the two contracts including $27 million in federal funding that would have boosted the state’s vaccination effort against the coronavirus took place despite the urging of Republican Sununu to accept the money, reported WMUR News 9.
“I appreciate you have reservations, but they’re based on fantasy,” Sununu directed to Republican councilor Dave Wheeler at one point.
It was a contentious gathering, according to local media outlets, with Sununu repeatedly fielding requests to “stand up” against vaccine mandates and appearing perplexed by the decision of the Republican councilors to deny the funds.
Only one councilor, Democrat Cinde Warmington, voted in favor of the funding. She accused her Republican colleagues of politicizing the matter, WMUR reported, as they voted to side with the protesters — a handful of whom were arrested. One of the objectors from the previous meeting had allegedly warned of a “civil war” on Facebook if the funds were accepted.
FYI:
Following up on comments he made late last week, Sununu on Wednesday joined other Republican governors across the country in saying he was exploring legal ways to head off Biden’s vaccine mandates. During a news conference, Sununu said he’s been in touch with other governors and state attorneys general about how to push back against the president’s mandates.
“Mandating a vaccine is not good government because once you start that, you say it’s ‘just a mandate, what’s the big deal?’ But the precedent that it sets, the path that you then open up for whatever might come in the future,” Sununu warned. “You have now set a precedent for decades to come. And that’s a very dangerous thing.”
Like other GOP leaders across the country, Sununu emphasized that he’s supportive of the vaccines but opposed to mandates.
“As much as I want everyone vaccinated, there is also an understanding that individuals do have individual rights. And I do have a job to also protect those individual rights and we’ll take whatever legal action we can with other governors,” he said.
“I get angry when I see a lot of people not vaccinated. I want everybody vaccinated, but that doesn’t mean that the end goal is justified,” he added.
Sununu – who has yet to decide if he’ll run for reelection or challenge Hassan next year, or step away from politics and return to the private sector – also took aim at New Hampshire’s all Democratic congressional delegation for not taking a stance on the mandates.
“I don’t know where they are. I think all weekend, they sat silently about it. It shocked me. This is a federal issue, a federal mandate, but the majority of our federal delegation says absolutely nothing about this,” he charged.
Hassan did weigh in earlier this week, writing that “it’s imperative that we decisively act so that Americans — whether business owners, employees, or consumers — can get past this pandemic.”
She said she supports requiring employees in large and mid-size businesses to have regular COVID tests or get vaccinated.
“This isn’t a new idea.,” Hassan said. “Since the beginning of our nation’s history, we’ve battled the spread of disease and illness through vaccination requirements — from George Washington requiring his troops to get the smallpox vaccine during America’s founding to the requirement that children receive the Polio vaccine — Americans have seen and understood the threat that pandemics pose to our way of life, economy, and ultimately our freedom.”
“Today, every state in the country requires certain vaccinations for children to protect their health and prevent outbreaks that can cost lives and hurt our economy, and our military requires a wide range of vaccines for service members, ensuring the health and readiness of our armed forces,” Hassan added.
It remains to be seen which way Sununu will go. He could run for re-election but he is being hyped up as a potential candidate to go up against U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D. NH). One this is for sure, Moscow Mitch is gunning to take down Hassan:
An outside GOP group allied with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is launching a new $10 million ad blitz targeting three of the Democratic Party’s most vulnerable senators next year.
The broadside from One Nation, the advocacy arm of the Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP’s top super PAC, is launching television, radio and digital ads knocking Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
The ad sprint takes specific aim at Democrats’ social spending bill, which is still being negotiated, but One Nation said would result in “the largest tax increase in decades.”
All three ads look to tie the lawmakers to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) as well as other prominent figures in the Democratic Party, including President Biden and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The ads appear to suggest the infrastructure endeavor is being pushed by party leaders and that the three targeted lawmakers are falling into line.
But Hassan has been gearing up for re-election:
ANOTHER RECORD FOR HASSAN. Sen. Maggie Hassan, the almost daily target of Gov. Chris Sununu and Republicans in the state and nationally, is pushing back by building a massive campaign war chest as the Democrat intensifies her effort to win a second term next year.
ew Hampshire Primary Source has learned that Maggie for NH, Hassan’s campaign committee, will report by Friday’s federal deadline having raised $2.97 million in the third quarter of the year, which ended Sept. 30, and that the committee entered October with $6.5 million on hand.
They are the largest total for funds raised and cash on hand for a New Hampshire U.S. Senate candidate at this point in an election cycle and Hassan’s fourth consecutive record-setting quarterly totals.
The quarterly dollars raised figure also brings the Maggie for NH total so far in the current cycle to about $14.7 million.
With $6.5 million on hand, the same total as she had at the end of the second quarter, the Hassan campaign has spent more than $8 million. In the second quarter of this year, Hassan’s campaign raised a bit more -- $3.2 million, which was also a record.
Democracy and Health are on the ballot next year and we need to get ready to keep New Hampshire Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with Hassan and her fellow New Hampshire Democrats campaigns:
Maggie Hassan
Chris Pappas
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New Hampshire Democratic Party