New Hampshire Democratic State Rep. Peter Burling appeared Monday night before the College's Young Democrats to explain his withdrawal from the New Hampshire gubernatorial race and to urge students to rally around the Democratic Party in the race to defeat incumbent governor Craig Benson.
Burling, New Hampshire's House minority leader, spoke briefly about his recent decision to withdraw from the statewide race. He said that after raising money and writing stances on various issues, he discovered there were no staffers available for his election campaign. According to Burling, 82 non-profit special interest groups had already hired all the "30-year-olds [that] would usually be running campaigns."
"I know how to get House candidates, I know how to get them elected and I know how to raise money," Burling said. "And that's what I'm going to do."
Burling's departure leaves former State Attorney General Phil McLaughlin as the only Democrat in the race against Benson.
Burling said that the state's Republican Party as it exists now is libertarian, not Republican.
"The Republicans with a conscience generally have gone home," Burling said.
Burling also brought up Governor Benson's cuts to the Katie Beckett program, which aids children with long-term disabilities or complex medical needs.
The program provides $20 million per year to supports 1200 severely disabled children. According to Burling, Benson has cut 250 children off the list, resulting in a mere 2.5 percent cost reduction in exchange for cutting nearly 25 percent of the children in the program.
"What he's trying to do is simply whittle the program down" until it is eliminated, Burling said.
Burling also urged his audience to involve themselves in N.H. state politics.
"The impact you have on the process is incredible." Burling said to Young Democrats, as he urged them to come to Concord and sit in on a state House meeting.
