The shift between 1988-1992 may have something to do with Bush breaking his “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge. A substantial number of voters there were probably pretty much single-issue tax cut voters.
Curious: how much evidence is there that the tax promise cost Bush votes in 1992? Okay yes, it was unpopular and True Conservatives hated him for this, but would these people instead have voted for tax raisers Clinton and Perot instead, or even stayed home and let them win?
If anything, the trash economy and culture war stuff would have been far more damaging. If anything, I feel like the early-90s recession is always forgotten when discussing 1992 and the tax pledge is always overemphasized.
Unless I am underestimating the level of fanaticism over a comparatively modest tax increase that somehow managed to overshadow literally everything else?
You’re probably right on the national scale, and I have no hard evidence for my claim. It’s just that conservatism in NH has probably tended to be the most fiscally-focussed of anywhere in the US.
As someone who has lived in NH for a decent length, you are correct. It tends to trend libertarian as well which doesn't quite mesh with a lot of the Republican social agenda...
