The Portsmouth Herald endorses Maggie Hassan for Governor

On Nov. 6, we encourage our readers to vote for Maggie Hassan for governor. On virtually every important issue our state will face in the next two years, Maggie Hassan’s views mirror those of the editorial board of the Portsmouth Herald, Exeter News-Letter and Hampton Union.
The governor in New Hampshire exerts influence through the veto and the bully pulpit. During the last legislative session, Gov. John Lynch was able to stop some of the most radical and destructive pieces of legislation through veto threats and actual vetoes. As governor, Maggie Hassan would play a similar role, serving as a check against Republican legislative excesses.
For example, the New Hampshire House has made so-called Right To Work legislation its top legislative priority for the next session. Our editorial board has strongly opposed this attack on collective bargaining and governmental interference between businesses and their workers.
We also know that Hassan will veto bills that seek to:
Come between a woman and her doctor regarding abortion and contraception;
Repeal same-sex marriage;
Allow people to carry concealed weapons without permits and allow convicted felons and the mentally impaired to have guns in their homes;
And, like her opponent, Hassan has vowed to veto a sales or income tax should either reach her desk (which they certainly won’t in this next legislative session).
We agree with Hassan that New Hampshire should accept the substantial funding offered under Obamacare and extend health care to tens of thousands of our friends, family and neighbors who now are uninsured or underinsured. Refusing to take advantage of this opportunity is not simply immoral, it’s fiscally irresponsible.
Read the full endorsement here.