Democrat Matt McLaughlin faces off against Republican incumbent Denise Ricciardi for the seat to represent New Hampshire Senate District 9 this November, which includes Bedford, New Boston, Mont Vernon, Greenfield, Lyndeborough, Temple, Sharon, Hinsdale, Winchester, Richmond, Troy, Fitzwilliam and Jaffrey.

Ricciardi said economy is the top issue for voters she’s speaking with this year. She pointed to cuts in business taxes she supported in the Legislature, and her support of the phase-out of the interest and dividends tax, which she said was helpful to those on fixed incomes, and property tax relief efforts as proof of what she was doing in the Legislature to try to ease those burdens.

McLaughlin said the state should be supporting sources of energy to reduce the need for fossil fuels, which have the benefit of both reducing carbon output and reducing dependency on fossil fuels and their demand, bringing prices down.

In regards to the state’s infrastructure, including roads and bridges, Riciciardi said she supported the budget, which added $50 million to the highway fund, and a separate piece of legislation that dedicated $65 million to roads and bridges. She said she would also support investments into the state’s high-speed internet infrastructure.

McLaughlin said the state should look at raising its gas tax, as well as taxing electric vehicle use in a similar way, to support the state’s infrastructure needs.

Abortion and education

On the issue of abortion, Ricciardi was a supporter of the 24-week abortion ban passed by the state last year, with exceptions for the health of the mother or fetal anomaly.

“This policy is consistent with the vast majority of laws in other states and supported by about 80 percent of the population according to public polling,” Ricciardi wrote.

McLaughlin said he would support the codification of Roe v. Wade into New Hampshire law.

“If a woman finds herself in an unplanned pregnancy, or a pregnancy that is not viable, she can consult with her partner, with her friends and family, with her doctor, but she should not need to consult with a politician,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the state should repeal or amend its Education Savings Account program, saying that it took funding away from public education. If not repealed, he said the income cap should be more restrictive, or otherwise throttled back.

He said decisions about curriculum, including “divisive concepts,” should be a matter for the individual districts to decide, and were not a matter for the Legislature.

“It’s a classic case of the Republican Party supporting local control, until the local control makes a decision they don’t like,” McLaughlin said.

Ricciardi praised the program, which allows parents to use the same amount of funding a public school would receive for a pupil to seek non-public schooling options.

“For too long, ‘school choice’ was just an option for the wealthy. With this program, families within 300 percent of the poverty line now have the opportunity to send their child to a school of their choice that they otherwise couldn’t afford to,” Ricciardi said.

Minimum wage, marijuana and guns

Ricciardi said the current minimum wage, which is aligned with the federal minimum, is sufficient, especially as most employers are paying far above the minimum wage already.

McLaughlin agreed that the marketplace was already setting a wage grade well above the minimum wage for the average worker.

Ricciardi said she supports the use of medical marijuana and decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana, but would not support legalizing it for recreational use.

“I have spoken with the law enforcement community and they have serious concerns about enforcement and its impact on the current drug abuse problem in our state,” Ricciardi stated.

McLaughlin supports legalizing marijuana for recreational use for those over 21, and said because of the laws at the federal level, it would be most appropriate for it to be implemented by private industry.

When asked about gun rights, Ricciardi said she supported the Second Amendment, noting New Hampshire was one of the safest states in the country.

McLaughlin said “military-grade” weapons, which he said included assault-style rifles, “should be with the military,” and said he would support restrictions such as limited magazines and increasing waiting periods to purchase a firearm.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 8.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.