New Hampshire’s primary elections have long been a cornerstone of our democratic process, especially for offices like the State Senate, which represents multiple towns and cities. A primary is where anyone can step forward, where voters get real choices, and where competition sharpens candidates and strengthens the final ticket. The best ideas and the strongest leaders rise to the top. That principle is as American as it gets.
Which is why I was stunned, just 25 to 30 minutes after filing to run for the State Senate in District 16, to receive a message from New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Scott Maltzie urging me to withdraw. The reason? The party “doesn’t want to primary.” Running a contested primary, I was told, would be a “waste of resources.”
This raises serious questions:
• How many other prospective candidates received similar calls?
• Is the NHRSC attempting to hand-pick and essentially appoint Senate candidates rather than letting voters decide?
• Does this reflect the will of the entire Republican Party in New Hampshire, or the agenda of a smaller faction?
The message was clear: voters, in their view, cannot be trusted to choose the right candidate. The same grassroots conservatives who rightly demand school choice, arguing that competition produces better outcomes and that parents should decide where their children are educated, now want to limit competition inside their own party. The same voices that champion limited government and citizen engagement apparently believe the average voter is smart enough to pick their child’s school but not smart enough to pick their State Senator.
This is not only inconsistent but also hypocritical. These are the very same leaders who pushed legislation to restrict the ability of organizations and municipalities to lobby on behalf of their residents, effectively silencing opposition voices. Now they seek to silence competition before it even begins.
I did not file to run because I was recruited or appointed. I filed because I believe in the process, care deeply about the people of District 16, and trust voters to make their own decisions. Telling a qualified candidate to step aside before a single vote is cast is morally and ethically wrong. It undermines the very foundation of representative government.
New Hampshire Republicans have long positioned themselves as defenders of liberty, parental rights, and open competition. If we abandon those principles inside our own primaries, what exactly are we conserving?
The voters of District 16 deserve a choice. They deserve candidates who earn their support rather than inherit it by party decree. I remain committed to that fight.
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