THE CHOICE BEFORE US
Where We Are. Where We Need to Go.
Colleagues, I ask for your support to serve as
Speaker of the New Hampshire House when we convene following the November elections.
A NEW DIRECTION
for House Democrats
This election will be a turning point for our caucus and our state. Whether Democrats regain the majority or return to a House divided by only a handful of seats, we cannot meet this moment with the leadership practices of the past.
We need stronger communication, genuine collaboration, proactive mentorship, greater transparency, and respect for the knowledge and lived experience of every caucus member.
Most importantly, we must be ready to govern.
Granite Staters are being squeezed by property taxes, housing costs, childcare expenses, healthcare bills, and the everyday cost of living. Meanwhile, years of revenue reductions, cost-shifting to municipalities, and cuts to essential services have weakened the state’s ability to respond.
The biennial budget will not be an ordinary budget. It will be our opportunity—and our responsibility—to restore fiscal stability, provide meaningful economic relief, and show New Hampshire what Democratic leadership can deliver.
As Speaker, I will lead a caucus that listens to its members, trusts their expertise, communicates clearly, and advances a disciplined statewide agenda centered on affordability. We will not allow divisive culture wars to consume the time and energy that should be spent solving the problems people face every day.
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
Representative Jim Maggiore
Rockingham — District 23
House Speaker Candidate
Representative Rosemarie Rung
Hillsborough — District 12 Committee Co-chair
Representative Laurel Stavis
Grafton — District 13 Committee Co-chair
Representative Anita Burroughs
Carroll — District 2
Representative Eleana Colby
Merrimack — District 9
Representative Susan Elberger
Hillsborough — District 5
Representative Cathryn Harvey
Cheshire — District 6
Representative Al Howland
Strafford — District 20
The Honorable David Preece
Representative Wendy Thomas
Hillsborough — District 12
Representative Eric Turer
Rockingham — District 6
AN HONEST ASSESSMENT
New Hampshire Families are Paying the Price
New Hampshire’s fiscal pressures are not isolated problems. They are the result of policy choices that have shifted more costs onto families, property taxpayers, and local communities.
State obligations have been pushed onto
municipalities. From public education to retirement costs, towns and cities have repeatedly been forced to absorb responsibilities the state abandoned. Residents pay through higher property taxes and reduced local services.
The state has surrendered substantial recurring revenue. Over the past decade, reductions in business taxes and the repeal of the Interest and Dividends Tax have cost New Hampshire an estimated $1 billion. An estimated 92 percent of the benefit from repealing the Interest and Dividends Tax went to the top 20 percent of earners.
Education Freedom Accounts have expanded without adequate safeguards. The program cost approximately $53 million in the 2025–2026 school year. With income limits removed, projected costs could exceed $200 million during the 2027–2029 biennium—even as public schools and property taxpayers are asked to do more with less.
Recent budget decisions have deepened existing crises. Proven housing initiatives lost funding, while state agencies sustained serious reductions, including more than $50 million affecting Health and Human
Services. These cuts threaten services used by children, older residents, people with disabilities, and families in crisis.
Housing shortages restrict economic growth. Childcare costs keep parents out of the workforce. Underfunded schools drive up property taxes. Reductions in federal assistance will place still more pressure on families, municipalities, and state services.
A CAUCUS READY TO LEAD
An Affordable New Hampshire
Affordability must become the organizing principle of our caucus and the foundation of the next state budget. Granite Staters should be able to live, work, raise a family, and retire in the communities they call home.
As Speaker, I will:
Prepare early for the biennial budget. I will establish a Fiscal Emergency Working Group to identify the affordability concerns voters raise most often and develop practical responses. A Budget Task Force will turn those priorities into a coherent fiscal strategy. Members will be drawn from Finance, Ways and Means, Housing, Education, Health and Human Services, Municipal and County Government, and other relevant committees.
Fight for public education and property tax relief. We will develop a comprehensive framework to reduce inequities among school districts and meet the State’s responsibility to every child. We will also demand stronger
oversight, transparency, and fiscal accountability for Education Freedom Accounts.
Confront the housing crisis in all its complexity. We will work with municipalities, state agencies, housing advocates, regional planning commissions, developers, labor, and infrastructure experts to increase supply, restore effective housing programs, and secure available federal resources.
Restore the voice of caucus members. Members should help shape major decisions—not learn about them after they have been made. We will incorporate committee expertise from the beginning, communicate in a timely way, and ensure members have the information they need to speak confidently about our priorities.
Develop the next generation of Democratic leaders. Through education and mentorship, we will help newer members become effective legislators and prepare them for future leadership.
Build durable Democratic majorities. We must organize, recruit, communicate, and govern with an eye toward 2030 and the next redistricting cycle. The future political representation of New Hampshire is at stake.
For too long, serving in the minority has forced us into a defensive posture. We have too often measured success only by what we could stop. It is time to focus on what we can accomplish.
We must be ready not only to win a majority, but to use that majority responsibly and deliver lasting results for Granite Staters.
I ask for your support because I believe our caucus can do more: more collaboration, more preparation, more trust, and more effective leadership.
The work begins now. I would be honored to lead it with you.