CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Democrats Dan Feltes and Andru Volinsky both were raised in blue-collar families, became lawyers and ended up at the Statehouse - Feltes in the senate, Volinsky in the Executive Council.
But plenty separates the candidates vying, in the Sept. 8 primary, for the chance to unseat Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
Volinsky is best known for representing struggling, property-poor communities in a landmark education funding lawsuit in the 1990s. But Feltes casts himself as the true champion of working families, citing his work as a legal aid attorney.
Feltes also argues that as a state senator, he has led the way on issues such as paid family and medical leave, clean energy, and support for workers, though Sununu’s vetoes erased the results. But he did help pass a state budget that included the biggest increase in education funding in two decades.
“It’s one thing to litigate an education funding case, it’s another thing to deliver education funding. We did that,” said Feltes, who is in his third term representing Concord. “We’ve got to protect that budget and build off it. On Day 1, I think voters whether it be in the Democratic primary or otherwise, will want someone who has the experience working on the state budget. I do, my primary opponent does not.”
Volinsky counters that the budget Feltes brags about mostly restored education funding that had been cut in previous years and relied on one-time funding. He said Feltes’ plan to close corporate loopholes to further fund education is “wildly insufficient,” and that all options should be on the table, including an income tax.
The “Claremont” lawsuit he litigated resulted in state Supreme Court rulings that New Hampshire is obligated to provide and pay for an adequate education - but Feltes and other lawmakers have largely failed to address the issue, Volinsky said.
“He and Sununu are both propping up the same failed broad-based property tax system,” Volinsky said. “People need to understand that. It’s one of the key differences between Dan and me. I’m willing to see the facts and where they take us. … We can’t just keep repeating talking points and trying to fool people into thinking it will be all right.”
In addition to education funding, Volinsky cites climate change and economic inequality as the issues driving his campaign for governor. He was elected to the Executive Council in 2016, and has been a vocal opponent of many of Sununu’s appointments, including the governor’s failed nomination of Attorney General Gordon MacDonald as state Supreme Court chief justice.
During the coronavirus pandemic, both Volinsky and Feltes have criticized Sununu’s handling of the crisis, particularly his decision to let local school districts decide how to reopen.
Among other measures, Volinsky said Sununu should have required districts to meet minimum air ventilation standards and hired an engineering team to inspect buildings.
“The idea that the governor would allow school districts to put children and school personnel in classrooms with unsafe conditions is disqualifying him from leadership,” Volinsky said.
Feltes, who published a detailed school reopening plan, similarly criticizes Sununu for “punting it to the local level.”
“Safe schools equal safe communities,” he said. “For families heading into the fall, they wanted some semblance of certainty. What Chris Sununu delivered was complete chaos.”
Sununu’s handling of the pandemic also has been criticized by his longshot Republican primary challengers, longtime conservative activist Karen Testerman and Nobody, a Keene man who officially changed his name from Rich Paul to get on the ballot.
“The only justified thing for government to do is to protect our rights, and instead of protecting our rights, government has become the chief violator,” the latter said in a video recorded outside the Statehouse in June. “I’m running for office because government is doing a lot of things Nobody should do.”
Testerman, a Franklin city councilor, said Sununu’s stay-at-home order early in the pandemic destroyed businesses and hurt families.
“Governor Sununu has devastated the once-thriving economy of NH and continues to drive it further into the ground with each emergency order,” she said on her website.
But in a recent UNH Survey Center poll, 76% of likely voters said they approve of Sununu’s handling of the virus, including 63% of Democrats.
“On the most important issue facing people, he’s seen as doing a good job,” said Andrew Smith, the center’s director. “He’s running as a competent manager, and that’s a good way to run for governor. … So regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, it’s going to be difficult for them.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.