State House Dome: Weighing 2024 run, Sununu touches third rail

Mar. 18—NEW HAMPSHIRE GOV. and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Sununu touched the third rail of American politics last week when he said privatization of Social Security should be on the table for discussion.

During an interview with an NBC affiliate station in Washington, Sununu said it was "ludicrous" that the leading 2024 contenders in both parties oppose making any changes to the entitlement program.

"Joe Biden and Donald Trump — they both have the exact same strategy of 'Don't touch Social Security, don't do anything,'" Sununu told LX News. "When it goes bankrupt in 10 years, you'll lose 25% of your benefits, but neither of them are willing to do anything about it."

As for reform options, Sununu was not specific.

"There are a lot of things you can do, you don't have to slash benefits or anything like that," Sununu said, adding that younger workers could get the opportunity to invest their own retirement savings.

Asked about privatization specifically, Sununu said, "I am not saying it has to be done that way, but that's an idea that is out there."

While serving in the U.S. Senate in 2005, John E. Sununu, the governor's older brother, proposed a privatization plan with then-Rep. and eventual House Speaker Paul Ryan, which the George W. Bush White House turned into another commission on entitlements.

During the same interview, Gov. Sununu pushed back on portraying him as the "centrist lane" candidate because of his support for abortion rights and opposition to making the culture war a central theme of a possible presidential run.

"Not the centrist lane. It's more the pro-business, free market, individual freedom lane. I think there's a lot of room for support in that lane," Sununu said.

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley said Sununu won't be able to pull off this attempt to brand himself.

"What is 'ludicrous' here is the idea that Sununu is in any way a 'moderate.' Hundreds of thousands of Granite Staters rely on Social Security and Medicare, and Sununu has made it clear he is clearly a threat to these critical programs," Buckley said in a statement.

"He has once again shown his true MAGA colors by joining the ranks of some of the biggest proponents of cutting these key programs — Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Ron DeSantis."

First-responder reps

For the second year in a row, the collapse of a veteran House member sent legislators-first responders into the breach.

On Thursday eight-term Rep. Timothy Horrigan, D-Durham, choked on a cough drop during the session in Representatives Hall and spent a few hours at Concord Hospital for observation as a precaution.

A year ago last month, seven-term Rep. Ralph Boehm, R-Litchfield, fell and struck his head at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel, where Sununu was delivering his state-of-the-state address.

Lawmakers seated close to Horrigan said they first thought he was having a seizure or even a stroke, but he quickly got to his feet before being taken out by Concord Fire and Rescue.

The House has many legislators who are current or past firefighters, nurses, doctors and emergency medical technicians, all of whom can provide aid until outside first responders arrive.

State Rep. Stephen Pearson, R-Derry, a Manchester Fire lieutenant and EMT, was quickly at Horrigan's side with House Sergeant-at-Arms J.B. Cullen and his staff.

"With a significant number of the House members being over 65, we are bound to see medical emergencies on the floor of the House on a regular basis," said Rep. Mark Pearson, R-Hampstead, Stephen Pearson's father.

"We have a bipartisan firefighter/EMS caucus in the House and in a crisis, partisanship goes out the window in terms of who is treated and who does the treating.

"And, yes, once again, I'm so proud of my son."

Candidate counter-attacks

Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson charged Politico with a "hit job" story last week that accused her of being verbally and emotionally abusive during the 2020 campaign.

A dozen former staffers anonymously accused Williamson of exploding into anger without warning and repeatedly belittling personnel, saying that was why she went through two campaign managers and multiple state directors.

Former U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., who served as Williamson's New Hampshire director in the 2020 campaign, was the only person who agreed to be quoted in the piece.

"Those reports of Ms. Williamson's behavior are consistent with my observations, consistent with contemporaneous discussions I had about her conduct with staff members, and entirely consistent with my own personal experience with her behavior on multiple occasions," Hodes said.

Williamson, 70, said the story was "categorically false" and "slanderous."

Absentee voting bid dies

Along party lines, the state Senate killed legislation last week to permit anyone to cast an absentee ballot (SB 220).

"It is extremely disappointing that Senate Republicans voted down efforts today to clarify our voting laws and enable no-excuse absentee voting. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Granite Staters made it very clear that meaningful access to absentee voting makes a world of difference, particularly when a person's health is at risk," said Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy of Manchester.

"Voters should not have to choose between their health and their right to vote."

Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, said the limits on absentee voting in elections remain, with access only to those unable to get to the polls for work, disability or for religious reasons.

This election law reform had no shot in 2023.

That's because it's one of the demands the Democratic National Committee made for New Hampshire to be "allowed" to have the second primary in 2024 on the same day as Nevada — and after South Carolina.

The other demand was that the Legislature repeal its first-in-the-nation presidential primary law by this June.

Yeah, right.

House GOP sticks together

A little-told story: House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, and House Science, Technology and Energy Chairman Michael Vose, R-Epping, have kept the GOP ranks together in the fight against many renewable and climate change bills in the face of soaring energy costs.

The House narrowly turned down bills that would have expanded net metering from one megawatt to five megawatts (HB 523) and created a climate action plan with reduction goals for greenhouse gases (HB 208).

Only one House Republican supported both bills, Rep. Dan Wolf of Newbury.

Osborne and Co. needed the caucus' undivided attention. That's because a single House Democrat, Rep. Matthew Coker of Meredith, broke ranks on the net metering bill.

On net metering, Sununu surely owes Osborne one. In the past, Sununu vetoed a similar bill, which had the support of Senate President Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro.

The governor and Osborne have by no means ended this fight, however.

The Senate still has its own net metering bill (SB 79), which may require a repeat performance in the House later this spring.

Dem leader gets wins

House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm of Manchester had a few things to celebrate when the House tabled two controversial bills, one requiring schools to have unisex bathrooms (HB 104) and the other subjecting K-12 teaching materials to the state's obscenity law (HB 514).

On the eve of the vote, Wilhelm took to social media with a video that labeled both as "far right," calling the first an attack on transgender students and the second a "virtual book ban."

House Education Chairman Rick Ladd, R-Haverhill, said "building code" concerns with the unisex bathroom bill prompted House GOP leadership to bail on the bill, which was tabled, 325-28.

The obscenity bill was set aside after 15 House Republicans joined with Wilhelm's caucus to table it, 200-175.

Primary change put off

The state Senate has set March 30 as the day it will debate moving the state primary from September to the second Tuesday in May (SB 133).

Assuming the bill passes, its reception in the House could be interesting.

The House Election Laws Committee already voted to retain two bills moving the primary, one to June (HB 115) and the other to March (HB 333).

Despite those moves, House GOP leaders have a track record of backing efforts to push the primary up on the calendar.

Budget job gets harder

House Finance Chairman Ken Weyler, R-Kingston, has 11 days to get his panel behind changes to Sununu's two-year state budget.

The task became more difficult after the House Ways and Means Committee voted to set revenue estimates for the next two years that are $82 million lower than Sununu's.

Then there's the matter of state tax cuts.

In his budget, Sununu endorsed eliminating the 7% Communications Services Tax on telephone calls (HB 133).

But fiscal hawks on Weyler's panel would rather cut the Business Enterprise Tax (HB 15) or speed up repeal of the state's "income tax," the 5% levy on unearned Interest and Dividends (HB 100).

Shaheen still pro-Delaney

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., remains hopeful the Senate Judiciary Committee will soon confirm former Attorney General Michael Delaney to a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, despite opposition from some leading domestic violence victim advocates.

They put off a planned vote last week because Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was out with shingles.

All Senate Republicans have vowed to oppose Delaney, and Senate Democrats have only a one-vote majority with Feinstein.

Critics said Delaney's representation of St. Paul's School against sex harassment allegations subjected victims to invasions of privacy.

Delaney was the school's lawyer when then-freshman Chessy Prout accused senior Owen Labrie of sexual assault.

"I think Mike Delaney will be an excellent judge," Shaheen repeated to radio talk show host Jack Heath Friday.

Weighing in on Delaney's behalf before the Senate panel was Susan Carbon, a former superior court judge who was director of the Office of Violence Against Women in the Obama administration.

Ban on racial profiling

Supporters of the ban on racial profiling (HB 596) that cleared the House of Representatives have four House Republicans to thank for their narrow victory.

Reps. Aidan Ankarberg of Rochester, Oliver Ford of Chester, Dan Wolf of Newbury and Kimberly Abare of Pelham crossed party lines to back the bill that passed.

Rep. Matthew Coker of Meredith was the only House Democrat to oppose the bill.

DCYF director rebuffed

Despite "strong concerns" from Division Children Youth and Families Director Joe Ribsam, the House Finance Committee is pushing ahead with a proposal to change the criminal code and set staffing/budget benchmarks for a replacement to the Sununu Youth Services Center.

The House is set to vote on the changes (HB 49) Wednesday after the panel embraced it, 23-2, over the objections of Ribsam, Child Advocate Cassandra Sanchez and many juvenile justice groups.

The outlook for this will be quite different in the Senate.

So far in 2023, Senate leaders have said the focus should be only on building this new treatment center. They want to put off any changes to criminal law or long-term staffing metrics until later.

AFP dialogue on ESG

Attorney General John Formella is the guest speaker for Thursday's "Pints and Policy" event hosted by the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, which will zero in on President Biden's rule on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) fund investments.

The event is at the Backyard Brewery in Manchester from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Fiscal conservatives claim the ESG would give fund managers the green light to make riskier investments because they support a left-wing agenda.

Formella and 16 other attorneys general have filed objections to Biden's policy.

Faith leader discussion

The New Hampshire Interfaith Power and Light, Laudato Si' Movement and the League of Conservation voters are cosponsoring a showing this Wednesday of "The Letter — A Message for Our Earth" at the Red River Theatre in Concord Wednesday night at 6.

The documentary is on Pope Francis' care for creation message, which features five individuals from different faiths on their works to help the poor.

A panel discussion follows the Rev. Susan Hendershot, national president of Interfaith Power and Light, Rev. Richard Roberge, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Concord, Lennox Yearwood Jr., president and CEO of Hip-Hop Caucus, and Robert Dunn, director of policy with the Diocese of Manchester.

Kevin Landrigan is State House Bureau Chief for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Contact him at klandrigan@unionleader.com.