Most New Hampshire political influencers expect Gov. Chris Sununu and the new Republican state legislature to prioritize either balancing the state budget (42%) or speedily distributing a COVID-19 vaccine (30%) after they take office in January 2021, according to the first HynesSite Influencer Survey.
No other response earned double-digit support from New Hampshire influencers. Almost 9% said getting kids back into in-class learning should be the top focus, and then came cutting business taxes and reducing energy costs (4% each). No New Hampshire influencers believe raising business taxes should be the top focus.
In addition, most influencers (74%) want Granite State elected leaders to address the current budget deficit by reducing state spending. About a quarter of influencers (24%) think they should implement a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.
What they are saying
"Find new non tax sources like expanded charity gaming." - New Hampshire Influencer
Nevertheless, 58% of influencers believe the Governor and the Republican legislature will successfully reduce business taxes in the coming legislative session. Twenty-six percent believe they will be unsuccessful.
Fifty-four percent of New Hampshire influencers believe it’s time for someone other than Ray Buckley to lead the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Twenty-two percent believe he should be reelected because he continues to be a strong leader.
What they are saying
"Ray does several things very well for a party chair - raises boatloads of money, trolls his Republican counterparts, focuses on building the bench - but this has been a very long run for a rapidly changing party. There is no question that his weakness has been party discipline, with down ballot voting the key to that. This is the first time, people are seriously discussing a post-Buckley NHDP. If he still wants to stay, I would bet he survives, but maybe not for as long as most might think. The 2020 election, which he called the most important of the decade all the way back in 2014, was a disaster and every plugged-in NH Democrat knows that." - New Hampshire Influencer
Almost a full three-quarters of influencers (74%) believe Gov. Chris Sununu’s mask mandate – which has inspired calls for impeachment – will make no change to his popularity. Fifteen percent believe it will hurt him politically.
What they are saying
"The Dems calling for a mask mandate already voted against him, and the GOPers mad about the mask mandate were already mad at him for closing businesses. No real change." - New Hampshire Influencer
The HynesSite Influencer Survey was conducted via email and social media during Thanksgiving week. Respondents are New Hampshire political insiders. All responses are and will always remain anonymous.
