Hey CNN, I have questions!
I am a Granite Stater voter, a registered Republican, and my wife and I homeschool our kids. By the way, I participated in the CNN Town Hall last week – hey CNN, I have some questions! I was ready to ask my questions; I was ultimately not called on. But my questions need to be asked to all the presidential candidates, and we, the voters deserve answers on the issues that matter most, not what the media decides.
Today, expensive bills passed by progressive politicians in Washington have pushed economic issues front and center here in New Hampshire. Out-of-control government spending has driven inflation to record highs, and increasing costs remain the most important issue in the state. Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight – Democrats recently released a budget that would spend $73 trillion over the next 10 years.
And while Democratic politicians in the nation’s capital claim high taxes and aggressive spending bills will pay dividends for Americans, those policy initiatives haven’t paid off in New Hampshire. For example, we have spent years pushing for education reform after Democratic spending proposals meant to improve schools have failed. Instead of improving our schools, test scores have declined, and college enrollment rates are down. Despite those facts, proposals to expand school choice programs, which would give families like mine the ability to choose the educational resources that are best suited for our children, have been met with strong opposition from Democratic politicians and teachers’ unions.
Folks here want change. Fortunately, some Republican presidential hopefuls are ready to deliver.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sketched out his presidential platform based on his strong record on government spending and education. He flexed his recent legislative wins on school choice, citing Florida policy initiatives to give families a wide variety of options to select the best education for their kids, and he argued that Republicans should push back against reckless government spending programs.
Other Republican presidential candidates have pushed for similar policy goals. Former President Donald Trump has made school choice a piece of his campaign, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has prioritized school choice during his time in the Senate. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has tried to separate herself from the field by championing aggressive government spending cuts, and former Vice President Mike Pence has called for Republicans in Congress to restore “fiscal integrity.”
Those messages will pay off at the ballot box. However, as New Hampshire voters continue to weigh which candidate they’ll support in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, it’s more important than ever that all of our GOP candidates continue to discuss policies they’ll fight for, like cutting back on wasteful government spending and prioritizing school choice.
