In online debate, New Hampshire candidates for governor tell voters to reject each others' promises

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Republican Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Joyce Craig urged voters Tuesday to reject each others’ campaign promises about legislation they’d veto if elected New Hampshire’s next governor.

Ayotte, a former U.S. senator and state attorney general, and Craig, a former Manchester mayor, faced each other for a debate hosted by the Mount Washington Valley Economic Council and broadcast online. Ayotte said she doesn’t believe Craig would veto a sales or income tax if it reached her desk, while Craig expressed similar disbelief about Ayotte’s opposition to further restricting abortion.

“Kelly Ayotte’s actions speak louder than her words,” said Craig, who declined the moderator’s call to take down ads attacking her opponent’s position. “She voted for a national abortion ban, and we cannot trust what she is saying right now because she is saying anything to be elected.”

Ayotte remained adamant that she would block anything that goes further than current law, which bans abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy except when the mother’s life is in danger or in cases of fatal fetal anomalies. And she defended her campaign ads claiming Craig “pushed for a city sales tax” and “tried to raise taxes six times.”

“If you’re proposing an increase in your budget every year as mayor, that doesn’t work at the state level in terms of balancing our budget and being responsible with taxpayer dollars,” Ayotte said. “Hold onto your wallet if you’re a New Hampshire taxpayer, because she wants to increase taxes.”

Though Craig mentioned a sales tax in a memo compiling community suggestions in 2017, she never advocated for it, according to fact checking by WMUR-TV and PolitiFact. And while taxes increased during her time as mayor, the increases were either within the city’s voter-approved tax cap or were approved by alderman with a veto-proof majority.

The candidates are competing to replace Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who declined to seek a fifth two-year term. Neither offered specifics when asked how they’d address a potential $1 billion budget shortfall driven by the loss of federal COVID-19 relief aid, compensating victims of abuse at the state’s youth detention center and court rulings suggesting the state needs to drastically increase spending on public education.

Ayotte said she would ensure the state lives within its means, “leverage technology” and “look at better ways to do things.” Craig said she would find ways to cut costs, pursue federal grants and “and do things more effectively and efficiently.” She also mentioned achieving savings through energy efficiency and legalizing recreational marijuana.

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This story has been corrected to show that abortion is banned after 24 weeks of pregnancy, not 26.