Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to bring her presidential campaign to Portsmouth on Wednesday with a message for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
But several Granite State small business owners told NHJournal they have their own message for the Democratic nominee.
“Go home.”
That’s what one Portsmouth area business owner said about Harris’s proposed visit, echoing the view that the policies of the Biden-Harris administration have been less than helpful to small businesses like theirs.
Harris is expected to speak to supporters at the Throwback Brewery in North Hampton.
So, what could Harris do that would help small business owners in New Hampshire?
“She could resign,” said Desmond Holman, owner of the Daw Kun Thai restaurant in Manchester.
“Since she and Biden have been in office, my costs have gone straight up. They aren’t going up as fast now as they were a year or two ago, but they’re still rising,” Holman told NHJournal.
“It’s harder to get customers to come in, too. People who used to come all the time, now they can only afford to come in once a month. There’s nothing Harris or Biden have done to help our small business.”
Chad Kozdra of Route 1 Barbershop & Shave Parlour in Portsmouth also mentioned his customers and their financial concerns.
“I hear it from my customers, some are scraping to get by. Four more years of what we’ve had from Biden and Harris is not what small business needs.”
And Kozdra expressed frustration that Harris has largely avoided specifics on policy. “She won’t tell what she wants to do. What’s her policy on business going to be?”
According to published reports, Harris will offer several proposals, including expanding the startup-expense deduction for small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000. She’s also expected to announce a goal of 25 million new small-business applications in her first term, up from 19 million during the Biden-Harris administration thus far.
But critics of the Biden-Harris economic approach remain skeptical.
“If the vice president were smart, instead of coming to New Hampshire to lecture us on more big government proposals, she would listen to real business owners here about what New Hampshire is doing right. Under the Biden-Harris administration, their reckless spending has driven inflation so that the average Granite State household has to pay $1,090 more per month just to get by. That’s a crushing blow to many people, particularly seniors and low-income families,” said Greg Moore, Regional Director for Americans for Prosperity.
Portsmouth is part of the First Congressional District, where Republicans are currently facing off in a primary for the chance to take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas. One of those candidates is Hollie Noveletsky, owner of Novel Iron Works.
“Kamala Harris has been in office for the past 3 and a half years, and has only made it more difficult for companies like mine,” Noveletsky told NHJournal. “The last thing we need is another four years of her planning to ‘boost small businesses’ through out-of-control spending and increased taxes and regulations.”
Walter McFarlane, another candidate in the race and a business professional who spent years working as a chief financial officer, is also unimpressed by the Harris message.
“It’s astounding how tone-deaf Kamala Harris is campaigning on economic policies that have hurt Granite Staters. Our country needs a reset. As a businessman who is still helping small businesses stay afloat following the pandemic, Congress needs a turnaround expert with experience in going from bankruptcy to profitability.”
And Trump spokesperson, New Hampshire native Karoline Leavitt, dismissed Harris’ trip to the Granite State has failed politics.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy and no amount of campaigning in New Hampshire will make up for the fact that Kamala Harris’ support for Bidenomics is crushing them. Energy prices and inflation is up while profit margins and small business optimism is down — and Kamala Harris is to blame.”
