In front of a live audience at Harpoon Brewery at the Queen City Center in Manchester, Republican incumbent Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Cinde Warmington sparred over issues ranging from affordability, data centers, and education.
NHPR's Rick Ganley and Jackie Harris hosted the forum, which was produced in partnership with Manchester Ink Link and the Granite State News Collaborative.
Key highlights
Both candidates framed affordability as their top priority, and argued their opponent would drive up costs.
Warmington’s pitch: “This economy is simply and fundamentally broken, and we need to fix it. And that means investing in housing and in child care, and making sure we're protecting our public schools and our public education. We have a real choice in this election. We can't afford two more years of the Kelly Ayotte-Trump agenda.”
Ayotte’s pitch: “My opponent has not committed to a ban on an income or sales tax. She opposes a property tax cap, and her energy bill, energy plan, will drive up bills. I believe we need to protect the New Hampshire advantage and not go the way of Massachusetts. I'm proud of the work that we've done together, but there's a lot more to do to keep New Hampshire safe, prosperous, and free.”
Both want to rein in property taxes, but argued over the source of the issue.
Ayotte said that property taxes are too high, and said the pending school tax cap ballot question could help to drive them down. When pressed for other solutions, she said it’s important to avoid passing down more costs or taxes onto local communities. She also reiterated her opposition to income or sales taxes.
Warmington was quick to challenge Ayotte’s record, blaming her policies for local property tax increases, particularly the expansion of school vouchers program and cuts to health programs. If elected, she also vowed to veto any sales or income taxes that come across her desk, as well as any bill that is “downshifting costs onto our community.”
One thing they agree on: Big data centers are bad for NH.
Ayotte and Warmington both reiterated their support of a statewide moratorium on data centers due to cost and environmental concerns.
“It doesn't fit for energy, our environment, and our natural beauty in New Hampshire,” Ayotte said.
Asked why she hasn’t issued an executive order to halt these projects, Ayotte said she lacks the legal authority, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General. Instead, she pledged to include a ban in her next budget and encourage legislators to pass a standalone bill. “I will work to get this moratorium done,” she said.
Though Warmington agreed with the moratorium, she suggested could have done more to stop data center development sooner by supporting bills addressing the issue during the last legislative session.
“Kelly Ayotte is only against data centers now that it's become politically inconvenient [to support them],” she said.
For the full conversation, watch the video using the player above or on YouTube.
NHPR will broadcast this forum on the radio on Friday, Oct. 23, at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Check out our earlier forums with the candidates for the 1st Congressional District and 2nd Congressional District.
