The biggest surprise from the Monadnock Debate between state Rep. Eric Estevez and author Andy Martin did not have to do with who was there; it had to do with who was not.
Of the seven candidates who agreed to participate in the debate, only two showed up. Of the 92 seats staged for audience members in Franklin Pierce University’s Spagnuolo Hall, only eight were filled.
“The absence of the candidates who thought it was below their dignity to come here, it’s not a great loss,” Martin quipped in his opening remarks. “They have nothing to contribute, and they are not qualified to run for Congress.”
Estevez and Martin are competing in the Republican primary for the nomination to challenge Rep. Annie Kuster to represent New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The candidates were addressed by a three-person panel made up of Christina Cliff, a political science professor at Franklin Pierce; Derek Scalia, part of the university’s student involvement team; and Heather McKernan, publisher of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, which co-sponsored the debate.
The panel’s questions for the candidates reflected the broad scope of contemporary high politics, and while their answers tended to remain in line with the candidates’ conservative records, some did surprise.
There was a striking amount of praise for Democrats from Estevez and Martin (and a whole lot of criticism, especially for Kuster). Estevez quoted President John Kennedy, and celebrated his brother’s ability to bring federal funds to his home state of Massachusetts: “I think Ted Kennedy was a very effective senator.”
Martin said that while he seldom agrees with her, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has occasionally been on the right track. He also addressed Donald Trump’s claim that President Barack Obama and Sec. Hillary Clinton founded ISIS. He called it hyperbolic, and added that it might be more appropriate to call President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney the founders of ISIS for their failures intervening in the Middle East.
Do not be mistaken, though, as both men proved to be confident conservatives on most matters.
Both cited better closing of borders as a solution to the opioid crisis that is plaguing New Hampshire. Both said that limiting refugees is crucial to caring for U.S. citizens. They also agreed that New Hampshire needs to become a better place for veterans.
Where the debate really became energetic, though, is when they disagreed.
Estevez and Martin prefer small government and limited federal spending, but where they find those lines differs.
Martin wants almost all issues solved on a local level where “Washington bureaucrats who can’t even locate New Hampshire on a map” are too paralyzing to allow real change. He says that, regarding the issues of gun control and addiction recovery, citizens need to take care of their neighbors because high-party politics can never lead to a resolution.
Estevez agreed, but added, “I do not believe in big government, but I do believe in strong and effective government intervention when necessary.”
(When asked about national security and terrorism, Martin ceded for the only time that it was not a local issue: “You’ll be relieved to hear I do not advocate a New Hampshire solution.” On this issue, Estevez said he’d favor forming coalitions and do everything he could to avoid troop deployment.)
Estevez’s message was of his experience and action. A member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from Pelham, he mentioned filing bills regarding job growth, addiction recovery and veteran care that were struck down. He believes his knowledge of running a state would help him in Washington, but said he refuses to be a part of the “corrupt” practices in the State House. “I don’t owe anybody any favors, he said.”
Martin was more offensive-minded, trying to belittle his opponents, as well as the “Obama-Kuster-Clinton Colossus.”
He touted his conservative credentials of being credited with creating the term Obamacare, and spoke about his travels that have made him very familiar with the Middle East.
The next Monadnock Debate will be tonight at Franklin Pierce University.
It will feature Democratic primary candidates for state Senate District 10, Jeanne Dietsch of Peterborough and Lee Nyquist of New Boston.