Ayotte lacks judgment; Warmington has it!
In 2019, former House of Representatives Speaker Terie Norelli and I wrote letters to the editor warning the public about the grave risk to reproductive rights that Gordon MacDonald posed. We urged the Executive Council to vote “no” on then-Governor Sununu’s nominee to become Chief Justice of the NH Supreme Court. MacDonald didn’t have the votes in 2019, but Sununu held the seat open and waited until after the 2020 election, when Cinde Warmington became the sole Democrat on the Council.
In January 2021, Kelly Ayotte supported Sununu’s renomination of MacDonald, saying “I cannot think of a more qualified person to serve in this job so very important to the state,” and “It really is about his character — he is hardworking, diligent, and he listens to people with different ideas and views”; she also said he “possesses great intellect and integrity”.
By contrast, at his public hearing, Executive Councilor Warmington questioned MacDonald about reproductive rights and told Granite Staters she had “serious questions” about his impartiality on reproductive and voting rights “at a time when they are being threatened.” Warmington questioned MacDonald’s “willingness to divert public taxpayer funds to private schools,” and said she believed him “incapable of meeting his obligation of putting aside his personal beliefs.”
The flags were bright red in 2019 and 2021. Despite clear warnings, Ayotte endorsed MacDonald. Warmington sounded the alarm. Whose judgment do you trust? I trust Cinde.