This year presents a delightfully difficult choice in the race for governor in New Hampshire. As a Democrat, I have three strong and qualified candidates vying for the chance to lead New Hampshire when Gov. Maggie Hassan moves on in January.
Any one of this trio of candidates has the ability to continue her vision of innovation and the courage to lead us into the future. But after a lot of soul-searching, Mark Connolly has earned my vote.
I’ve had the responsibility of serving on the House Finance Committee for the last two terms, and have seen firsthand the challenges we face.
I’ve worked with both parties to find ways to responsibly build and maintain our infrastructure so that our economy can continue to grow and produce good paying jobs for our families.
I’ve worked to find funding for our schools and higher education facilities to provide the education our children need.
I’ve fought alongside our governor to provide the basic services needed by the working people of our state in the area of health care, aid to the disabled and the elderly, and assistance to struggling families.
It is with this lens I have to view the Democratic candidates asking for my vote in the upcoming Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Mark has a strong, progressive voice and a proven record of delivering results for New Hampshire families. His upbringing and life story has taught him that hard work and determination are the keys to success. He also knows what it means to need a helping hand and what it is to struggle to make ends meet.
Mark has served in government and has taken on the special interests and Wall Street giants on behalf of the taxpayers of New Hampshire. I share Mark Connolly’s priorities for our future – building a world-class education from early childhood through university, providing a workforce that our economy needs and crafting a strategic 10-year economic plan where business, education and government can work together to keep families in New Hampshire to live and work.
Lastly, and very importantly, Mark Connolly will fight to keep New Hampshire safe from the growing violence we see throughout this country. Mark will fight for the passage of a strong background check bill that closes the loopholes that allows felons, domestic abusers and the dangerous mentally ill to get their hands on guns with no questions asked.
He understands that in states that require criminal background checks on all handgun sales, 46 percent fewer women are fatally shot by their partners, 48 percent fewer police are killed with handguns and 64 percent fewer crime guns are trafficked out of state.
As a former prosecutor myself, I believe we must elect leaders who prioritize public safety. One of the biggest reasons I am voting for Mark is that he’s the only candidate who will make it a top priority to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Mark has served as a state representative and as a state regulator – earning national acclaim for standing up to big banks and corporate greed when no one else would.
His record of results for New Hampshire families reinforces the progressive vision he lays out on the campaign trail. Personally, Mark Connolly is approachable, humble and kind, but he is also passionate about this state and possesses the discipline, dedication and life experience to lead our great state.
For all these reasons, I will be working to elect Mark Connolly governor in the September Democratic primary and the subsequent November election, and I urge my fellow Democrats to join me in this effort.
This election is too important to sit on the sidelines and watch. I urge all of you to get involved.
(Rep. Katherine Rogers lives in Concord.)