Cheshire District 18 is a floterial district with two seats. It includes Dublin, Jaffrey and Rindge.
Two Democrats, Allen Davis and Rory Lovett, will challenge incumbent Republicans Jim Qualey and Rita Mattson.
Allen Davis
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Dublin
Political experience: I am a newcomer to elected office. I will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to all issues. NH needs change!
Professional experience: I have been a skilled leader of three nonprofit organizations and a teacher and administrator at schools and colleges.
Community service experience: I have been involved with many community organizations, including the United Way, the Dublin Public Library, 100 Nights, The Literacy Project and a Community, Economic and Affordable Housing organization.
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? We need to use every possible option to address the affordable housing crisis in Cheshire County and the state, including bring back the Housing Champions Program, which Republicans just terminated.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? ICE is arresting and sometimes shooting innocent immigrants who are here lawfully and sometimes doing the same to U.S. citizens! State funds should not be used to detain immigrants.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? EFAs take money away from the public schools and that hurts students as well as fractures communities. State funds should not be used for religious, private or charter schools or for home schooling, as there is no accountability for how this money is spent or the quality of education students are receiving.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should keep the current law of restricting abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy as well as always protecting the health of the mother.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I would repeal the law that makes it more difficult for married women and college students to vote because it is critical for our democracy that all eligible people be allowed to vote!
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 raise state revenue by bringing back the interest and dividends tax on the wealthiest corporations and individuals that Republicans ended this year. I would eliminate the Educational Freedom Accounts which drains the state of money that could go to local schools as well as police and fire departments.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state must provide more money for public schools as it is 50th in the nation in support for public schools.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? Affordability: NH has become unaffordable for the vast majority of Granite Staters, including seniors, working families and individuals as well as young people. The cost of property taxes, rental housing, electricity, gas, oil, child care, healthcare and public higher education have gone through the ceiling!
Find more information at the candidate’s website: https://davis4nh.org/
Rita Mattson
Party affiliation: Republican
What town/city do you live in? Dublin
Political experience: 1 term State Representative
Professional experience: Industrial Mechanic
Community service experience: Local activities
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? No
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 government and law enforcement agencies should cooperate entirely with federal efforts to enforce our nations immigration laws.
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? Dissolve the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Health Equity. There is no justification for discrimination in providing access to healthcare. This office increases costs without delivering concrete savings or improved healthcare accessibility.
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 support the NH Advantage 2.0 strategy which provides new business revenue without raising tax rates or adding new taxes but by lowering cost to do business and adding a Court of Chancery to attract recurring incorporation fees. It grows business profits taxes without over developing our beautiful NH.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? In terms of cutting expenses, the state should step up its game in routing out any fraud and waste, particularly in construction projects, higher education and safety net programs.
If the state is expected to pay half of the education costs (not including SPED and free lunches), the state should exert more control over expenses, such as facilities, salaries and benefits, administration and headcount, and curriculum to improve student outcomes. An open checkbook would be ill-advised.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? How to reduce property taxes without adding new taxes or legalizing hallucinogenic substances. We should not Mass-up our beautiful state.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: www.ritamattson.com
Rory Lovett
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Dublin
Political experience: Voting. That is all.
Professional experience: Small Business owner. Machinist. Retail & restaurant management.
Community service experience: Two full years of service in AmeriCorps*NCCC (Habitat for Humanity, conservation, homeless shelter operation, etc). Multiple years of youth sports coaching and officiating.
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? Towns need to address housing needs as individual communities, but the state should absolutely get in the mix for helping towns across the state achieve their goals in the near and far future.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? This isn’t a one-off, bullet-point-answerable question. Our police departments should be following NH law, assisting as required, paid for their efforts and be able to hold any federal employee legally accountable who takes illegal action against anyone living in this state.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? In theory, yes. But the program lacks the transparency and accountability for the size its budget has exploded to — $140 million by the end of the year and counting. The State also pulled money already earmarked for public education at a time our towns increasingly struggle to sustain our schools. We get told “money doesn’t grow on trees” for our kids’ education, but manage to pick a bunch of fruit off those same trees without solving our first and primary funding problems.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? The best way to prevent abortion is preventing unwanted pregnancies. That starts with women having the access to the education, contraception and women’s healthcare which they need to make the choices best for them and their families. Reproductive rights belong to the woman using them. The government should, whenever and wherever possible, keep its hands-off our bodies and out of our hospital gowns.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? Voting is a right, and the state should always strive to make it as easy as possible. End, stop. Recent laws encroaching on voting ease and accessibility are not only inconvenient, they are dangerous. Easy and accessible are not incompatible with safe and secure. Regardless of age, political party or location, every citizen should find voting to be as easy as can possibly be.
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. Reinstate the interest and dividends tax. A cut which nearly 90% of everyday Granite Staters saw zero direct benefit from. Those higher property taxes you’re seeing have been making up the difference ever since.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? Deciding to answer for the NH Supreme Court’s (Claremont) decision to meet our constitutional requirement to properly fund education is a good start. Enough of being last in the nation, 50th of 50 in state funding for education. Having no solution to a problem for 30 years isn’t a problem, it’s a choice, and quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. The state should be working with every town individually to meet the needs of basic facilities, faculty and curriculum our children deserve and our future demands.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? The Free State Project sounds super nice and catchy, but in reality, it is a movement with the stated goal of fundamentally altering our New Hampshire way of life and their minority control of our governance. It is well-funded by out-of-state money and for the benefit of out-of-state control. They are welcome to live their lives and to cast their vote, but I’m not interested in being told how to live by a group dedicated to forcing their agenda on me and my neighbors. I will legislate as such.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: www.nhlovetttogether.com
Jim Qualey
Party affiliation: Republican
What town/city do you live in? Rindge
Political experience: NH State Rep. since 2020, Vice-Chair House Election Law Committee since 2023. Rindge Selectman (2016-19).
Professional experience: Ph.D. in Physics from Penn State University. Many years working as an engineer in both civilian and defense-related research and development. Also served as a visiting professor teaching physics at Daniel Webster College.
Community service experience: Alternate Library Trustee for 10 years. Served on Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Budget Advisory Committee. Chairman of the Rindge Jaffrey Fitzwilliam Republican Committee (2019-2025). Volunteer supporting numerous Rindge town events.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? No
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? The state of NH and its political subdivisions should cooperate fully with federal efforts to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? No
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? The legislation establishing a statewide Housing Appeals Board which has the authority to override the decisions of local land use boards should be repealed. Since the people most affected by land use policies are those living in the community where the land is located, they should have the greatest say in establishing those policies, not a state board which is insulated from the consequences of its decisions.
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. The best and most sustainable approach to raising state revenues is to preserve the NH Advantage of low tax and regulatory burdens. This will ensure that our state continues to attract additional profitable businesses with a resulting increase in TOTAL business profit and enterprise tax revenue. The best way to control state expenses is to effectively perform the core functions of state government (such as establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility and protecting our liberties) while ensuring that state spending is efficient and free of fraud.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state should continue to financially support the necessary task of educating the upcoming generations but with an increasing emphasis on targeting the expenditures toward the needs of individual children and families.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? The biggest issue facing our state is how to reduce property taxes without creating new taxes or increases in existing tax rates (since adopting either of these measures would decrease the overall prosperity of our state).
Find more information at the candidate’s website: https://www.jimqualeyfornh.com/index.html
