Stefany Shaheen’s rejection of her mother’s deal with the GOP to end the government shutdown garnered plenty of headlines. But the other Democratic candidates in the NH-01 Democratic primary have been far more brutal in their assessment of the senior Shaheen’s “unconditional surrender.”
“I didn’t serve our country in the Marines to watch leaders cave when healthcare for 9 million Americans is on the line,” said Maura Sullivan. “Reopening the government can’t come at the cost of people’s access to the care they need. Democrats should be standing firm, not surrendering when Americans’ health is at stake.”
Despite Shaheen’s prominent political name, Sullivan — an Iraq War veteran and former member of the Obama administration — has outraised her (and the rest of the field) in the last two fundraising quarters. In 2018, the Iraq War veteran came in second, behind eventual Congressman Chris Pappas, in the NH-01 Democratic primary.
Attorney and National Guard officer Christian Urrutia said he was “deeply disappointed in Sens. Shaheen and Hassan. They have let a lot of people down. Without these Affordable Care Act subsidies and a rollback of the Medicaid cuts, insurance rates will double, and thousands of New Hampshire families will lose coverage.
“I got into this race because Democrats must meet the moment. This decision shows our party is still not willing to fight for the people who need us most,” Urrutia said Monday.
Urrutia has also shown a strong fundraising capacity, and he’s running on a progressive platform that some Democrat insiders say is closer to the primary electorate than Stefany Shaheen.
State Rep. Heath Howard (D-Strafford) threw down on the younger Shaheen over her mother’s vote.
In response to Stefany’s statement that “improving health care has been the cause of my life,” Howard posted on Twitter/X, “Then why did your mom vote for it? This is the hypocrisy of the establishment, playing both sides of this situation. If the Shaheens actually cared about healthcare, they would advocate for a universal healthcare system, not throw ACA recipients under the bus.”
Heath, who’s running as a Bernie Sanders progressive, echoed many of his fellow Granite State Democrats on social media when he wrote he was “ashamed to see our two senators sell out their constituents for empty promises.
“Our representatives in the New Hampshire federal delegation should have a spine and stand up for working-class Granite Staters.”
And Sarah Chadzynski, a nonprofit leader, also rejects the Shaheen-Hassan deal.
“We are in a battle for human rights and the American people have held strong. Our soldiers, federal workers, and single mothers have bravely faced food insecurity and a lack of pay throughout this shutdown with the understanding that victory here is our only option: healthcare security. With the ACA tax credits eliminated, insurance premiums will double to triple, millions will lose coverage, and an estimated 50,000 Americans will die preventable deaths every year.
“Our people may have held strong, but our Senators have not,” Chadzynski said.
The Republican National Congressional Committee, not surprisingly, sees the issue very differently. Every Republican other than libertarian contrarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted for the clean CR, and they see the rejection of the Shaheen-Hassan approach as a sign of political extremism among Granite State Democrats.
“The Democrat Party’s radical base has made their message clear: Shut down the government or shut up. It’s no surprise Stefany Shaheen, Maura Sullivan, and Christian Urrutia are allowing the socialist mob to call the shots instead of doing what’s right for New Hampshire, because they have the backbone of a wet paper straw,” said NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole.
What’s missing are any local Democrats defending the Shaheen-Hassan deal. Instead of rallying around their incumbents, Democrats across the state’s political spectrum have rejected the deal, some outright condemning it. Even state party chair Ray Buckley has been silent on the votes cast by the top two elected officials in his party.
Instead, more Democrats sound like Joel Payne, spokesperson for MoveOn, who told Axios the deal will “screw over millions of working Americans” and that “too many Democrats in Congress … are failing to listen to the clear message voters sent on Election Day.”
That could be good news for progressive candidates on Primary Day.
