Cheshire District 13 includes Dublin and Jaffrey.
Voters will choose between two candidates for one seat. Tom Ahlborn-Hsu, a Democrat, will face Republican Matthew Santonastaso in the general election.
Tom Ahlborn-Hsu
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Jaffrey
Political experience: No previously held political office.
Professional experience: Author of several middle and high school science programs, recipient of state and national awards for science education. Business: Founder/CEO of three small education companies.
Community service experience: Chair of Jaffrey Conservation Commission, board member of Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce, conservation advisor to Jaffrey Planning Board, past president of Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Create tax incentives for builders and property owners to rent and/or develop housing.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should not assist at all.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? No
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should not restrict abortion at all.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I would restore the revenue sharing that the State Wide Educational Property Tax (SWEPT) that the Legislature effectively eliminated in 2011. The original purpose of SWEPT was to even out education funding for students between rich and/or larger towns and poorer and/or smaller towns. The disastrous result is that smaller towns pay much higher property tax rates because they must support mandated services with a much smaller population. This is forcing many rural homeowners out of their homes, creating huge shortfalls in town budgets, and pitting homeowners against schools.
NH consistently struggles with funding its government and services. What is one way you would raise state revenue, and what is one area you would cut expenses? Be specific. Today the financial services industry is making an extraordinary profit by charging 34.9% interest on credit cards, skimming an average of 6% on all credit card transactions and milking the federal deficit for free money. I would require a percentage of credit card fees be returned to the State of NH for all business transactions which occur within NH, and I would reinstate the business enterprise tax on corporations with fewer than 20 employees in NH. In terms of cutting expenses, I would eliminate education freedom accounts or at least limit their use to families with proven financial need. Today, 4 out of 5 EFA recipient families earn more that $100,000 and there is no income eligibility requirement at all.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The State of NH must redistribute existing education funds and come up with revenue sources that AT LEAST meet an inflation-adjusted amount set by the Claremont decision for state baseline education support of approximately $8,000 per student. It is grossly unfair, and unconstitutional, that the State of NH pays the lowest amount of education support in all 50 states. In fact, NH could double the rate of state support per student and STILL be the lowest in America. This forces NH towns — through local property taxes — to pay the highest fraction of school funding of any state in America.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? We are paralyzed by divisiveness stemming in large part by the Free State movement that imported thousands of non-NH people to move to our state. Outside funds were provided to support these carpet-baggers to run for state office and replace traditional NH people from both parties. These are the same people who sponsored a constitutional amendment in 2022 (CACR32) and again in 2024 (CACR20) for NH to secede from the United States! We need serious debate to find compromises that fix real problems. We don’t need grandstanding stunts like an illegal, divisive, secession amendment.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: tomhsufornh.com
Matthew Santonastaso
Party affiliation: Republican
What town/city do you live in? Jaffrey
Political experience: I previously served two terms in the NH House, representing Cheshire 14 from 2020 to 2022 and Cheshire 18 from 2022 to 2024. I sat on the Executive Departments and Administration Committee. I am now running for Cheshire 13 after local Republicans asked me to step up when no other Republican filed for Jaffrey and Dublin. I also previously served as political director for the NH Liberty Alliance.
Professional experience: I am an Army veteran. I work as a helicopter flight instructor and as a heating-fuel delivery driver. My family and I live in Jaffrey, where we are raising four children.
Community service experience: My public service has been through military service and through representing my neighbors in Concord. In the House I focused on reducing unnecessary regulation, protecting taxpayer money, and keeping NH an affordable place to live and work.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Lift state regulations on development.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should not assist at all.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? Yes
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should keep the current law of restricting abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I would repeal unnecessary occupational and business inspection mandates that raise costs without making people safer. NH should trust people and local communities more, when the rule exists mainly to generate paperwork and fees.
NH consistently struggles with funding its government and services. What is one way you would raise state revenue, and what is one area you would cut expenses? Be specific. I would not raise an income or sales tax. NH’s advantage is that we do not have them, and I will fight to keep it that way. On the revenue side, I would focus on growing the tax base by making it easier to live, work and build here so more people and businesses choose NH. On spending, I would cut waste and duplicative bureaucracy, starting with agencies and programs that grow every year without clear results for taxpayers. Conservatives in Concord should treat the budget like a household budget: spend less before asking families to send more.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state should help taxpayers without taking over local schools. That means defending Education Freedom Accounts so parents can choose the best fit for their kids, opposing statewide income or sales taxes sold as education fixes and stopping unfunded mandates that push costs onto local property taxpayers. Education dollars should follow students and results
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? Property taxes
Find more information at the candidate’s website: https://cheshireliberty.com/
