More good news about the Granite State has political insiders asking: What are New Hampshire Democrats going to run on in the 2018 governor’s race?
The economy? Uh….no. New Hampshire has the hottest economy in New England and one of the best in the US.
Jobs? Unemployment is down to 2.7 percent in the Granite State–the third-lowest rate in the U.S. The worry among employers isn’t the unemployed, it’s finding workers to fill jobs.
Housing? New Hampshire’s one of the best states on affordable housing, too.
And now a new analysis of public schools in the U.S. ranks New Hampshire at #4 in the nation, with high ratings in both education performance and student safety. So now add schools to the list of New Hampshire “Top 10” performances of the past few months.
Traditionally, school spending has been a source of campaign fodder for Democrats at the state level. But if Democrats Molly Kelly or Steve Marchand plan to attack Gov. Chris Sununu on education funding, they’re going to find that New Hampshire already spends more than $15,000 per student and ranks in the top 10 in per-pupil expenditures.
Yes, the N.H. teacher’s union has endorsed Molly Kelly for governor, calling her a “champion of education.” But it’s hard to make the case that significant improvement is possible when New Hampshire’s already among the elite states when it comes to public schools. One area where improvement is possible is to incentivize lower-performing public schools to improve by allowing their students to transfer out. Gov. Sununu has pushed for education reforms that do just that–Education Savings Accounts–and they are adamantly opposed by the teachers union (surprise!) and the two Democratic candidates. However, at least one recent New Hampshire poll found more support for ESA’s than opposition.
School choice is a politically-divisive issue, but it’s also not a top priority among voters. In fact, based on national polls, education in general hasn’t been a hot topic as of late–which is more bad news for Democrats, who tend to be viewed more favorably on the issue.
Instead, the top issue according to the latest Gallup poll is immigration which, in New Hampshire, is a loser for the Left. You won’t hear Democrats talking about any more than the #AbolishICE fans force them to. The same with the economy, jobs and housing.
So what are Democrats going to campaign on against Gov. Sununu this fall?