N.H. Governor to Run for 3rd Term
Gov. Jeanne Shaheen said Tuesday she plans to run for a third term but won’t renew her pledge to veto an income tax.
“Twice before as I ran for governor, I told the people of New Hampshire that I would veto any broad-based tax, and I fought hard to keep that commitment,” the Democrat said. “But this year, I cannot make that same promise, whatever the political price.”
Failing to take the pledge to veto broad-based taxes historically has been a kiss of death in New Hampshire politics. But this year candidates face a changed landscape--Shaheen and state lawmakers have been grappling with an education funding crisis triggered by a 1997 court ruling that demanded they find a fairer way to pay for schools. “New times demand new thinking,” Shaheen said. “I cannot and will not arbitrarily rule out any potential solution to the challenge we face.”
Shaheen, 53, will face state Sen. Mark Fernald, who supports an income tax for schools, in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.
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