Granite State Taxpayers surveyed primary candidates for their positions on topics of interest to taxpayers.
All candidates were asked the following 9 questions:
Will you oppose any income or sales tax, or any increase in the overall tax burden in New Hampshire?
Will you support decreasing state spending or at least stopping any increase in state spending?
Will you support limiting voting to persons who have been New Hampshire residents for at least 30 days?
Will you support using the same residency standard for all NH services (voting, in-state tuition, hunting, vehicle registration, etc.) that require residency?
Do you believe that state public school funding should be set by the legislature and not by the courts?
Do you support additional school choice, such as more charter schools?
Will you support passing Right-to-Work legislation?
Will you support reducing business taxes to encourage economic development and improve retention?
Will you support pension reforms for government employees including a transition from defined-benefit to defined-contribution plans?
Will you vote to terminate expanded Medicaid if the Federal contribution is cut?
Will you oppose casino gambling?
Candidates for Governor and Executive Council were asked the following 7 additional questions:
Do you believe the actions of the Governor and the Executive Council can have a substantial influence on controlling State spending?
Will you oppose increasing the toll rates on NH turnpikes?
Will you support only Public Utilities and Environmental Services commissioner nominees who will roll back RGGI?
In the case of same-day voter registrants in the 2014 election who filled out affidavits, the Secretary of State mailed postcards to confirm their addresses. A large number of the postcards were not returned or returned undeliverable. The current AG has placed a low priority on investigating those returned undeliverable postcards. Would you support only a nominee for AG who will take seriously and investigate such potential voter fraud issues?
Will you support only judicial nominees who will uphold the NH Constitution as written and not interpret it in today’s context?
Do you believe that the Governor and Executive Counselors are entitled to ask pointed questions as to the need and purpose of particular contracts and those questions and answers should be aired in public?
Will you support only those nominees for the State Board of Education and Commissioner who will promote citizen choice in Education, such as homeschooling, educational tax abatements, and charter schools?
The following candidates filled out surveys:
For Governor: Derek Dextraze 61%
For Governor: Frank Edelblut 94%
For Governor: Jeannie Forrester 100%
For Governor: Ian Freeman 83%
For Governor: Jon Lavoie 89%
For Executive Council District 2: Sam Cataldo 100%
For Executive Council District 3: Kevin Cozle 89%
For Executive Council District 3: Russell Prescott 100%
For Executive Council District 4: James Adams 100%
For Executive Council District 4: Joseph Levasseur 94%
For Executive Council District 5: Dave Wheeler 100%
To download a read-only spreadsheet with survey data and specific candidate answers and comments, please click on the following link
GST 2016 Survey Spreadsheet
Granite State Taxpayers is New Hampshire’s oldest statewide taxpayer association. Founded in 1990 by former Governor Mel Thomson and former State Senator George Lovejoy, our mission is to inform, educate and motivate New Hampshire taxpayers and to lobby the legislature on their behalf.