Another hourlong debate in the New Hampshire governor’s race, another hour without a single question about taxes. Or the economy.
Just hours after the St. Anselm College Survey Center released a poll showing the number one issue for Granite State voters is the economy and inflation, WMUR kicked off the debate with a question about abortion.
And another.
And another.
What wasn’t asked was a single question about rising prices, or jobs, or the state budget, or — one of the top two issues of this governor’s race — taxes. Specifically, the divide between Democrat Joyce Craig and Republican Kelly Ayotte on bringing back the income tax on interest and dividends.
The same thing happened in the NHPR debate last week, where the moderators repeatedly turned to the abortion issue, but never uttered the “T” word a single time in the hour-long face off.
Fortunately for the viewers, in the WMUR debate, the candidates were willing to do the moderators’ jobs for them.
Craig debated like the candidate that’s trailing in the polls, using every question to try and land a punch on Ayotte. She repeated the attacks she’s featuring in her TV ads: Ayotte’s work on the board of Blackstone, a private company that makes money renting properties; her votes for abortion restrictions and against Planned Parenthood funding while in the U.S. Senate; her alleged failure to prosecute Purdue Pharma back when she was state attorney general.
“You can’t trust Kelly Ayotte,” Craig said. “She’s in this for herself.”
Ayotte debated like the candidate in the lead. She had her rebuttals ready — Blackstone only owns three properties in the entire state of New Hampshire; Politifact has labeled Craig’s attack on Ayotte’s abortion votes “misleading;” she helped land $1 billion in opioid funding for New Hampshire while in the Senate.
The one moment when Ayotte appeared rattled was when the debate turned to Trump.
The moderator insisted that Ayotte say whether or not his criminal convictions at the hands of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “matter to her,” asking the question three time.
All three times, Ayotte gave the same answer she’s given since she endorsed Trump: Consider the alternative.
Hitting the Biden-Harris administration on rising prices and an open border, Ayotte said life for average Americans was better during the Trump administration.
“This is the choice we have in this election, and certainly I think the country was better off just in terms of cost, what we’re paying, and safety when he was in office.”
But Craig used the question much more effectively, turning to Ayotte and asking: Where do you draw the line, Kelly, with Donald Trump?” Is it when he sexually assaults women? Is it when he boasts about Hitler? Or is it when he tries to overthrow democracy?
“You support a convicted criminal for president. He’s unfit to be president,” Craig added.
Ayotte responded by linking Ayotte to progressive Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, making the case that she would govern more as a Massachusetts Democrat than a Granite State moderate.
“She has spent more time campaigning with the governor of Massachusetts, and that clearly is her philosophy: Higher taxes, less freedom, a billion dollars spent on housing illegal immigrants. She was just campaigning yesterday with Maura Healey in New Hampshire. Why is she spending so much time with the governor of Massachusetts when she wants to represent the people of New Hampshire?
“I’m proud to have the endorsement of Gov. Sununu and campaign with him,” Ayotte said.
Craig was so determined to keep up the attacks that when the moderators read a question from a viewer asking why the candidates are fighting all the time and what that says about their ability to find common ground, Craig used it to hit Ayotte again.
“She voted for a national abortion ban… she’s on the board of Blackstone,” Craig repeated.
“And she’s also interested in giving a massive tax break to millionaires like herself.”
That’s a reference to the fact that Ayotte does not support bringing back the income tax on interest and dividends, a proposal Craig has been campaigning on for months. Ayotte pounced.
“I want the people of New Hampshire to understand that, unfortunately, she wants to raise their taxes. You just heard it. She wants to impose a $160 million income tax that the legislature has already voted out. She wants to bring it back on retirees and those saving for retirement,” Ayotte said.
“And the New Hampshire Advantage? If she’s the governor, you can kiss it goodbye.”
Craig insisted, “I do not support a sales or an income tax and would veto anything if it came across my desk,” but she also added this qualifier: “I will not raise taxes on middle class families or on small businesses.” [italics added].
And Craig again reiterated her support for the interest and dividends income tax, which would have been a good opportunity for a moderator to step in and ask for clarification.
It didn’t happen. Nor did the moderators mention the new report released that morning ranking New Hampshire the best state in the union for jobs. Or the new national GDP numbers and the prospects for the state’s economy to keep growing. Or next year’s budget, which many State House insiders fear could be the ugliest since the Great Recession budgets.
The moderators did bring up the hot topic of biological males participating in girls sports in New Hampshire schools. Craig supports allowing self-identified “trans” students who are biological males to play against girls and opposes the new “Fairness in Women’s Sports” act passed earlier this year.
Ayotte supports girls-only sports and said allowing males would undermine Title IX protections for women.
So, who won?
Ayotte got to look like she’s winning, and Craig got to demonstrate how hard she’s willing to work to try and catch up.
The new St. Anselm College poll released Wednesday also found the same three-point Ayotte lead she had the week after the primary. The numbers have changed — from Ayotte 46-Craig 43 percent to Ayotte 49-Craig 46 percent — but the range hasn’t.
Given that nearly a quarter of respondents said the economy is their top concern, and only nine percent said abortion, it’s unlikely Wednesday night’s debate will have a major impact on the race.
