Sununu vetoes draw censure effort from some, praise from others

Jun. 2—Republican Gov. Chris Sununu's recent vetoes of GOP-backed bills have so infuriated members of his party that a censure movement has begun.

But others praise him for rejecting controversial measures, including one that would have ended buffer zones intended to prevent harassment around abortion clinics.

"When the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, we know extreme anti-abortion protesters will travel to states where abortion remains legal," Planned Parenthood of Northern New England spokeswoman Liz Canada said in a statement Tuesday.

Among PPNNE's clinics in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire is one in Keene.

"We applaud Governor Sununu for vetoing this bill that jeopardized the health, safety, and privacy of Granite Staters seeking reproductive health care," Canada said.

A draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court published by Politico in early May indicates the high court is on the verge of overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established a constitutional right to abortion.

House Bill 1625 would have eliminated a New Hampshire statute allowing abortion clinics to create a 25-foot buffer zone around their facilities to separate protesters from patients and medical providers.

"In the eight years since this law was originally enacted, we know of no instance where an individual or group has been harmed by it, " Sununu said in his veto message Friday.

Rep. Kurt Wuelper, R-Strafford, differs from the governor. His reasoning is that to dissuade a woman from abortion is the same as protecting that woman from harm.

"The people who are hurt by [buffer zones] are clients of the abortion industry who would be persuaded not to go there by these sidewalk advocates," said Wuelper, who is on the House Judiciary Committee.

One of the co-sponsors of HB 1625 was Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, whose district includes Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Greenfield, Hancock, Jaffrey, Peterborough, Richmond and Troy.

"For me it came down to our constitutional rights to free speech," she said in an email.

Sununu also vetoed Republican-backed bills that would have created new congressional districts and would have reduced the allowable length of a state of emergency declared by the governor. (On Tuesday, the N.H. Supreme Court finalized new congressional districts similar to the old ones.)

Earlier this year, Sununu vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have prohibited schools from mandating use of facial coverings and another that would have required a college civics test. He also threatened to veto a so-called "parental bill of rights," before the N.H. House defeated the measure by five votes on May 26. The bill would have set up extensive reporting requirements for schools.

Wuelper has a theory for Sununu's actions.

"He is building himself a platform, or a résumé, to run for national office, and he could be right, and he could even be successful, or he could be wrong and he could just be hurting his friends and doing bad stuff," he said.

House Republican leader Rep. Jason Osborne of Auburn sharply criticized Sununu.

"The governor just stabbed every Republican in the back last week with his veto barrage, and he's still laughing about it," Osborne told the N.H. Journal for a story that appeared Monday.

However, in an email to The Sentinel Wednesday, Osborne said he would not sign a petition circulating among state Republicans calling for a party meeting to censure Sununu.

"I am too busy working on the elections of House members to be bothered making a futile gesture toward someone who would just ignore it," Osborne said.

Rep. Norm Silber, R-Gilford, said he had received a copy of the petition, views it as a "noble but futile gesture" and hadn't decided whether he'll sign it, adding he has seen support for the effort.

"I've seen favorable comments from grass roots, very conservative Republican activists, from all around the state," he said.

Silber said he doesn't doubt reports that about 50 people had signed the petition. He said there are about 80 to 90 Republican representatives, including himself, who vote with a right-wing "Freedom Caucus," many of whom could be expected to support the censure effort.

He said many people knowledgeable about New Hampshire politics think Sununu may be trying to position himself for an eventual presidential run.

"He's pandering for support from non-conservatives and non-Republicans," Silber said.

Benjamin Vihstadt, a spokesman for the governor, responded to criticism of Sununu with a defense of his veto of Republican-drawn redistricting.

The congressional redistricting plan he rejected would have made the 1st District, held by Rep. Chris Pappas, D-Manchester, more Republican, while turning the 2nd District, held by Rep. Annie Kuster, D-Hopkinton, more Democratic.

Sununu favors retaining competitive districts.

"The governor will not give away the ability of Cheshire County voters to elect a Republican by signing a redistricting bill that would give Annie Kuster a job for life. Republican voters deserve a fair chance to elect good Republican leaders regardless of their zip code," Vihstadt said.

Sununu has endorsed Keene Mayor George Hansel, a Republican who is seeking to unseat Kuster.

Meanwhile, Rep. Gregg Hough, R-Laconia, one of the co-sponsors of the vetoed bill on emergency declarations, said the governor's actions are inconsistent with GOP views.

"He's doing things that aren't very Republican," Hough said. "He's doing things that aren't very conservative. He's doing things that quite frankly are more Democrat than anything else and it's really just stunning. It just doesn't make any sense."

On Friday, Sununu signed House Bill 1609. This creates an exception for fatal fetal anomalies in the 24-week abortion ban he approved last year. The measure also specifies that an ultrasound requirement before abortion does not apply unless the doctor thinks there is a risk that the woman is 24 weeks into her pregnancy.

In an April 12 letter to lawmakers, Sununu said HB 1609 makes necessary improvements to the ban, describing himself as pro-choice but saying he supports limits on late-term abortions.

Abortion-rights advocates said the bill is a step in the right direction although they would like to see the ban removed in its entirety.

Rep. Amanda Elizabeth Toll, D-Keene, said she doesn't trust Sununu regardless.

"The governor is a political opportunist scared of losing his position and I believe that's why he vetoed HB 1625 and signed HB 1609," said Toll, who has spoken publicly about having had an abortion as a teenager.

"However, let's be clear as daylight, we wouldn't need HB 1609, a fetal abnormalities exception to the abortion ban, if the governor hadn't signed an abortion ban into law to begin with," she said in an email.

"He has a long history of flip flopping on reproductive rights; he and the Republican Party cannot be trusted on this issue, which is essential to Granite Staters who believe in liberty."

Sununu is no stranger to political controversy.

He made national headlines in early April for saying "Trump is f— — crazy," during a joke at a Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, D.C

While Sununu faces criticism from some people in both parties, polling suggests he remains one of the most popular governors in the country.

"Chris Sununu is the only statewide Republican to win re-election in over 15 years — and he has done it twice, receiving more votes than any candidate for any office in New Hampshire history," said Juliana Bergeron, of Keene, who is the {span}national committeewoman for the Republican Party of New Hampshire.

{span}"I can say this alleged effort to censure him by a tiny group of individuals, who are not representative of the NHGOP, will not be successful."

Rick Green can be reached at rgreen@keenesentinel.com or 603-355-8567.