New Hampshire Megathread: Sherman in

[Morning in Atlas]

Sherman Packard from Londonderry will be the new speaker.

Not a surprise. He was one of Hinch's best friends, and the two of them are very similar.

Apparently Al Baldasaro did wind up running as "Hinch's leadership but with COVID conspiracies". So did Tim Lang (who's generally been a voice of reason compared to your average nutjob from Belknap), and Max Abramson, who has left the GOP four times since being elected in 2012.

[Babeuf]

What are the chances of the NH GOP going for right to work again? If I remember right they tried for it in 2018 when they last had the trifecta and got tripped up on it. How many of the GOP reps who voted against it are still there?

[Brother Jonathan]

What are the chances of the NH GOP going for right to work again? If I remember right they tried for it in 2018 when they last had the trifecta and got tripped up on it. How many of the GOP reps who voted against it are still there?

I would guess they wouldn't just because the majority is so small and there will be GOP Reps who vote against it. That being said never underestimate the desire of the NH GOP to charge headlong into ideological battles it has no hope of winning.

I think Sununu doesn't have much of an appetite for it. He's had a fairly cozy relationship with some of the unions in the state (he was endorsed by the firefighters and IBEW) and he may try to keep them on his side for when he runs for Senate (which seems basically inevitable at this point). To be sure he has had very tense relations with most unions, but why try passing a bill that will face some intraparty opposition and a close vote (likely to fail, even) when he could just let it sit and try to win some support for a Senate run. Even if it is unlikely that the Firefighters will endorse him, I think he would probably rightly just not risk aggravating them and hoping they may endorse him in the end. Maybe the union endorsements don't matter, but still, they don't hurt and it always makes for a good story on the news.

I think the GOP will also try to keep the powder dry for larger issues. And I gather Sununu was a major driver behind the attempt to pass Right to Work in 2018, so I don't really think this is an issue that the leadership is going to have a lot of backbench pressure to act on.

[Morning in Atlas]

Seven representatives have endorsed secession over the election results. They are:

* Raymond Howard (Alton)
* Jose Cambrils (Merrimack)
* Anne Copp (Derry, believes Dr. Fauci has been bought off by the CCP)
* Dave Testerman (Franklin, husband of Karen, former NHGOV candidate)
* Scott Wallace (Danville)
* Mike Sylvia (Belmont)
* Not sure of the seventh - it looks like Erica Layon (Derry)

Very amusing to see them say that the election that got them into office (Cambrils even picked up a seat!) was invalid.

[KaiserDave]

That's horrifying

[Morning in Atlas]

That's horrifying

I'm sorry, I was wrong. They're seceding from New Hampshire itself. However they do it, or whatever.

Still horrifying that a non-zero amount of Republicans (shoutouts to the people who thought Sununu was one of the good ones for making this all possible) backed this lunacy.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Everyone thought Sununu was a credible candidate, this session hurts his chances tremendously

[Ancestral Republican]

That's horrifying

I'm sorry, I was wrong. They're seceding from New Hampshire itself. However they do it, or whatever.

Still horrifying that a non-zero amount of Republicans (shoutouts to the people who thought Sununu was one of the good ones for making this all possible) backed this lunacy.

Seceding to where? Canada? New New Hampshire?

[Morning in Atlas]

Rep. James Spillane (R-Deerfield) is in hot water again. Previously famous for advocating for the murder of BLM protesters, he shared a picture of the Freedom for Humanity mural that caused a storm in Great Britain. It's actually the mural that got Corbyn in hot water for defending, and Trump's legal team is circulating around now in response to the current allegations. To say the very least, it's anti-Semitic.

It's deeply rooted in conspiracy theories. Some people saw its depictions of the rich, combined with the commentary about a shadow cabal controlling the world, as anti-Semitic. The artist himself said that he wasn't anti-Semitic because "only two of the people in the picture were Jewish", but dismissed the local Jewish community's concerns about the mural.

Spillane's proclivity for hate speech, along with the Dawn Johnson scandal, has amplified the accusations. Guy does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.

[PSOL]

New Hampshire needs to get shut down until we figure out what the hell is going on!

[GALeftist]

B I D E N S T O L E N E W H A M P S H I R E

[Morning in Atlas]

33 state reps (including one of mine!) voted not to condemn the Capitol riots.

These include:
* Aidan Ankarberg (who wore a paper bag over his head instead of a mask)
* Gregg Hough (defended Dawn Johnson's anti-Semitic comments)
* Jeanine Notter (part of GOP leadership!)
* Norm Silber (also defended Johnson's anti-Semitic comments)
* Mike Sylvia (House Secessionist Caucus, organized a rebellion to defy mask mandates)
* Dave Testerman (House Secessionist Caucus)
* Scott Wallace (House Secessionist Caucus)
* Mark Warden (said not to criminalize domestic violence because "some people like being in abusive relationships")
* Ken Weyler (called giving benefits to Muslim "treason" while supporting actual treason)

Disturbing stuff, folks. Hopefully I get districted out of this asshole's district.

[Morning in Atlas]

Sherm Packard has already gotten into his first controversy. He has stripped Rep. Rosemarie Rung (D-Merrimack)'s commitee assignment for "conduct beneath the House" and inciting violence against a public official in a Tweet.

The tweet in question:

https://twitter.com/rosemarierung/status/1347228655680954369

For those who aren't aware, the line for such an action is not:
* Sharing an anti-Semitic mural
* Protesting outside the Republican governor, and party leader's house
* Pledging sedition and not recognizing the state government
* Giving credence to right-wing conspiracy theories
* Sharing a blatantly anti-Semitic article from a neo-Nazi website, that made a very strong reference to the N-word

But the line for a rebuke is:
* Mildly criticizing a police chief for attending the rally before the Capitol riots

[Brother Jonathan]

What are the chances of the NH GOP going for right to work again? If I remember right they tried for it in 2018 when they last had the trifecta and got tripped up on it. How many of the GOP reps who voted against it are still there?

I would guess they wouldn't just because the majority is so small and there will be GOP Reps who vote against it. That being said never underestimate the desire of the NH GOP to charge headlong into ideological battles it has no hope of winning.

I think Sununu doesn't have much of an appetite for it. He's had a fairly cozy relationship with some of the unions in the state (he was endorsed by the firefighters and IBEW) and he may try to keep them on his side for when he runs for Senate (which seems basically inevitable at this point). To be sure he has had very tense relations with most unions, but why try passing a bill that will face some intraparty opposition and a close vote (likely to fail, even) when he could just let it sit and try to win some support for a Senate run. Even if it is unlikely that the Firefighters will endorse him, I think he would probably rightly just not risk aggravating them and hoping they may endorse him in the end. Maybe the union endorsements don't matter, but still, they don't hurt and it always makes for a good story on the news.

I think the GOP will also try to keep the powder dry for larger issues. And I gather Sununu was a major driver behind the attempt to pass Right to Work in 2018, so I don't really think this is an issue that the leadership is going to have a lot of backbench pressure to act on.

Well, I was wrong on this one. Right to Work is back as Senate Bill 61, with the Majority Leader and Senate President as co-sponsors. It may still fail (I think it likely will, though I really don't know) but in any event, it clearly has some strong support from leadership.

Quite a few interesting (shall we say) bills have been introduced so far this session, but that is par for the course in the 400 member House.

[Nyvin]

Macdonald has been confirmed as NHSC chief justice

[Babeuf]

What are the chances of the NH GOP going for right to work again? If I remember right they tried for it in 2018 when they last had the trifecta and got tripped up on it. How many of the GOP reps who voted against it are still there?

I would guess they wouldn't just because the majority is so small and there will be GOP Reps who vote against it. That being said never underestimate the desire of the NH GOP to charge headlong into ideological battles it has no hope of winning.

I think Sununu doesn't have much of an appetite for it. He's had a fairly cozy relationship with some of the unions in the state (he was endorsed by the firefighters and IBEW) and he may try to keep them on his side for when he runs for Senate (which seems basically inevitable at this point). To be sure he has had very tense relations with most unions, but why try passing a bill that will face some intraparty opposition and a close vote (likely to fail, even) when he could just let it sit and try to win some support for a Senate run. Even if it is unlikely that the Firefighters will endorse him, I think he would probably rightly just not risk aggravating them and hoping they may endorse him in the end. Maybe the union endorsements don't matter, but still, they don't hurt and it always makes for a good story on the news.

I think the GOP will also try to keep the powder dry for larger issues. And I gather Sununu was a major driver behind the attempt to pass Right to Work in 2018, so I don't really think this is an issue that the leadership is going to have a lot of backbench pressure to act on.

Well, I was wrong on this one. Right to Work is back as Senate Bill 61, with the Majority Leader and Senate President as co-sponsors. It may still fail (I think it likely will, though I really don't know) but in any event, it clearly has some strong support from leadership.

Quite a few interesting (shall we say) bills have been introduced so far this session, but that is par for the course in the 400 member House.

Yikes... thanks for the update even though it’s not a happy one!

[KaiserDave]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-hampshires-former-gop-sen-ayotte-2022-bid-sources


Ayotte exploring Senate run, possibly governor

[Roll Roons]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-hampshires-former-gop-sen-ayotte-2022-bid-sources


Ayotte exploring Senate run, possibly governor

I don't see her running against Sununu in a primary. My guess is he goes for one office and she goes for the other.

[KaiserDave]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-hampshires-former-gop-sen-ayotte-2022-bid-sources


Ayotte exploring Senate run, possibly governor

I don't see her running against Sununu in a primary. My guess is he goes for one office and she goes for the other.

Agreed. The article explains how their anonymous source believes they will sort it out. It's possible Sununu runs for re-election and perhaps runs for President (his father said he should) in 2024.

I strongly dislike both of these folks, but Ayotte is probably a weaker candidate for Senate. The hard right of the party dislikes her and she's never finessed the Trump issue well.

[Continential]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-hampshires-former-gop-sen-ayotte-2022-bid-sources


Ayotte exploring Senate run, possibly governor

I don't see her running against Sununu in a primary. My guess is he goes for one office and she goes for the other.

Agreed. The article explains how their anonymous source believes they will sort it out. It's possible Sununu runs for re-election and perhaps runs for President (his father said he should) in 2024.

That would be idiotic as he wouldn't go anywhere.

[KaiserDave]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-hampshires-former-gop-sen-ayotte-2022-bid-sources


Ayotte exploring Senate run, possibly governor

I don't see her running against Sununu in a primary. My guess is he goes for one office and she goes for the other.

Agreed. The article explains how their anonymous source believes they will sort it out. It's possible Sununu runs for re-election and perhaps runs for President (his father said he should) in 2024.

That would be idiotic as he wouldn't go anywhere.

Since when did that stop anybody

[MT Treasurer]

When all is said and done, I suspect Ayotte will go for GOV and Sununu for SEN and the races will be no more than 2 points apart on election day.

[Morning in Atlas]

https://twitter.com/nhpol603/status/1352399815863394304

One of the other bills flying under the radar is a plan to switch its EC apportionment to a congressional district-based system.

Putting aside the ramifications/debate on whether or not Sununu will back it, it's pretty likely that the GOP will take the approach of a Safe R/Safe D district.

[Morning in Atlas]

Macdonald has been confirmed as NHSC chief justice

Truly shameful. Gordon MacDonald should have been a household name. If the NHDP had any competence, they would have pushed this hard. Not only does it show that Sununu isn't a bipartisan, leaving the CJ seat vacant for 18 months for his crony, but he's well-documented as being anti-choice.

He and Edelblut, another unqualified appointee who got the job for political reasons, should have been household names. But nope! Just repeat "Trump guy through and through!" over and over again like Sununu didn't distingush himself.

What a ****ing joke this party has become.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

When all is said and done, I suspect Ayotte will go for GOV and Sununu for SEN and the races will be no more than 2 points apart on election day.
[/quote.
Sununu isn't Judd Gregg and Ayotte is old news and isn't Collins]