NH election 2022: State Sen. James Gray challenged by Ruth Larson for Rochester area seat

New Hampshire state Sen. James Gray, a Republican incumbent from Rochester who is also a city councilor, is seeking re-election to a fourth two-year term. He is being challenged by Democrat Ruth Larson of Alton. The district comprises Alton, Farmington, Gilmanton, New Durham, Rochester and Strafford.

Here are responses to questionnaires sent to all candidates:

James Gray

Hometown: Rochester

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?:

Many political ads regarding NH’s abortion laws do not accurately reflect our laws. They have confused the public and some would say it is intentional. To understand our current abortion law we need to first understand that Roe v. Wade permitted unrestricted abortions only until viability. The following is from the Cornell Law School website:“Supreme Court revisited the issue of abortion in Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992). The Casey court kept three finding made in Roe:

1. Women have the right to abort pre-viability without undue interference from the state.

2. The state may restrict abortion post-viability.

3. The state has a legitimate interest in protecting woman’s health and life of the fetus” In the NH law (RSA 329) a fetus whose gestational age is 24 weeks is considered to be viable. With that in mind:

1. NH does not restrict a woman from obtaining an abortion prior to 24 weeks.

2. NH does restrict abortion starting at 24 weeks.

3. NH provides for the protection of the mother and the fetus.

Our NH abortion law provides for abortion after the start of the 24th week where there is a medical emergency. Medical emergencies include preserving the life of the pregnant woman and when continuation of the pregnancy will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman. See RSA 329:43 and 329:44 for additional information.

See http://Gray4NHSenate.com for an unedited version of my responses.

The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?:

The cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and other decisions made by the current administration have made the US vulnerable to supply problems for natural gas, home heating oil and gasoline. Decisions here in New Hampshire not to allow the Northern Pass transmission line and opposition to natural gas pipelines have exacerbated the problem.Because energy from Russia to Europe is being restricted Europeans are willing to pay very high prices for the available energy. The result is a very short supply and much higher prices here in the US.

Energy efficiency and conservation will help to blunt the immediate impact. The General Court passed HB 2023 that establishes a state emergency fuel assistance program and a supplemental electric benefit. The bill also provided additional funding for the electric low-income program fund. This will help many of our families this winter.

Labor shortage: For many years we have been warned that the retirement of the baby boom generation and the low birth rates would cause critical shortages in health care. I believe that this is part of the problem but employers are telling me that the lack and high cost of child care is causing many employees not to reenter the workforce. Here in Rochester the city is looking to see if providing day care is a cost effective method of addressing this problem. Other employers are also looking to assist their employees with this critical need. Continued at http://Gray4NHSenate.com

What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?:

I believe in the NH Advantage. No income tax. No sales tax. I also support phasing out the interest and dividends tax. (Reductions start this year.)

I support local communities and parents making the decisions that work best for them while ensuring a high quality education from K-12 and beyond.

Our emergency rooms are not the place to board mentally ill patients. I voted for funding to construct two new facilities to provide services to our mentally ill. I voted for funding to construct two new facilities to provide services to our mentally ill.

I support the police, first responders and veterans.

I believe that positions like Rochester's Community Outreach Facilitator, which I voted for, will provide essential services to those in need and reduce the need for police involvement.

Good roads and bridges are essential to attract and retain businesses, promote tourism and improve your quality of life in NH. I have voted to provide funds for roads and bridges to towns and cities.

I support the scientists at NH DES and the existing state regulations on locating landfills. I have studied our current regulations and those of other states. The excessive regulations proposed will drastically increase costs on our communities.

I and my Republican colleagues have:

Increased state aid for education by $125 million.

Reduced the state-wide property tax by $100 million.

Returned an extra $62 million in rooms & meals taxes to local towns and cities.

Passed the largest energy relief package in NH history

Please vote for me, James P. Gray, on Nov. 8.

Ruth Larson

Hometown: Alton

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?

The recent US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade left protection of reproductive rights up to the states. Across the country, states are restricting women’s private health care decisions, and New Hampshire is no exception, passing its first abortion ban, buried in the general budget bill. Efforts to further limit a woman’s right to choose are also underway. I would fight to codify women’s reproductive rights into law. To me, that is a fundamental liberty.

The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?

Workforce shortages and lack of affordable housing are interrelated problems. People who would otherwise fill available jobs relocate elsewhere when they cannot find housing. The problem is compounded for young families by lack of affordable daycare. The pandemic clearly aggravated these problems, although significant relief was provided by PPP loans, the American Rescue Plan, and now the Inflation Reduction Act. The recent infusion of $100 million for creation of affordable housing (paid for by ARP funds) is a start, that needs replication at the state level. What these federal programs show is that investing in our economy and our future is essential and ultimately pays for itself. The state legislature has shown insufficient support for renewable energy sources, and we are seeing the consequences in terms of unnecessarily high energy costs. Some of the causes of inflation and high fuel costs need to be addressed nationally, but many can and should have been dealt with at the state level. NH lags behind our New England neighbors in promoting clean energy, and doesn’t even have a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Needed changes include transitioning public buildings to solar and government vehicles to electric, together with expansion of net metering NH dropped from #23 to #35 in a ranking of states good for business, due to infrastructure and workforce problems. Working together to invest in NH’s future and spend our revenues wisely, we can change that.

What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?

I was born in Washington, DC, and moved around some during my childhood due to my father’s job. New Hampshire was always the place where my extended family gathered, and it still is. The old farmhouse and cabin bought by my grandfather in the 1930s are still in the family, and my own nearby home was built on land passed down by him. After coming to NH my whole life, and loving it, I moved here with my husband as soon as we retired from the practice of law in 2010. Much of our spare time here has been spent hiking, kayaking, skiing (poorly!) at Gunstock, walking our rescue Beagle Shiloh, and getting together with family and friends. Over the years I have become increasingly engaged in community activities and local and state politics. This includes serving as a Gunstock Commissioner for 5 years (before the recent chaos!) and as a Supervisor of the Checklist in Alton. Much of my energy has been spent working for fair election districts, voting rights, reproductive rights, school funding reform, and the environment. My efforts have taken the form of letters to area newspapers, participation in meetings and forums, testimony in Belknap County and Concord. My love for New Hampshire and its natural beauty make me want to protect its environment and preserve it for future generations. I also cherish the NH that has shown itself to be a welcoming and inclusive community to all. These are some of the reasons why I am running for the NH Senate.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: NH election 2022: State Sen. James Gray vs. Ruth Larson in District 6