Washington, D.C. – The Club for Growth Foundation has released its 2024 State Economic Scorecard for New Hampshire, offering residents of the Live Free or Die State key information on how each representative approaches pro-growth policies. Kevin Landrigan covered the release in an exclusive report for the New Hampshire Union Leader.
The Scorecard analyzes policies and votes to assign an Economic Growth Score from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest support for pro-growth policies. In 2024, the Foundation reviewed over 400 floor votes, scoring 19 New Hampshire House and 8 New Hampshire Senate votes.
“Conservatives in New Hampshire stood strong against reckless spending and government overreach, earning near-perfect scores in both chambers of the New Hampshire State Assembly,” said Club for Growth Foundation President David McIntosh. “Despite unified liberal opposition, lawmakers halted significant welfare growth, stopped a permanent $740 million Medicaid expansion plan, and advanced transformative school choice with universal ESAs. While these actions delivered meaningful wins for New Hampshire, the continued push from liberals to impose small business mandates, increase the minimum wage, and eliminate right-to-work protections underscores the ongoing need for conservative lawmakers in Concord to stand firm on pro-growth policy.”
Click here to view the full 2024 New Hampshire State Economic Scorecard from the Club for Growth Foundation.
Key Highlights from the 2024 New Hampshire Scorecard:
New Hampshire Senate:
- Average Republican Score: 99%
- Average Democrat Score: 0%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): 13 Republicans scored 100%
- Highest Rated Democrat(s): N/A
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Sen. Denise Ricciardi (SD-09): 79%
- Lowest Rated Democrat(s): All 10 Democrats scored 0%
New Hampshire House:
- Average Republican Score: 97%
- Average Democrat Score: 1%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): 129 Republicans scored 100%
- Highest Rated Democrat(s): Rep. Maria Perez (Hillsborough 43): 18%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Rep. Dan Wolf (Merrimack 7): 33%
- Lowest Rated Democrat(s): 164 Democrats scored 0%
Notable Pro-Growth Legislation:
HB 1212 (HB 572 in Senate) – TABLING SIGNIFICANT WELFARE PROGRAM EXPANSION
- Would have increased the eligibility of the K-12 food and nutrition welfare program for households with income at 300% of the federal poverty line
- Students enrolled in the taxpayer-funded program would increase from 24% to 60% and benefit households making as much as $90,000, above the state’s median household income
HB 1634 – TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT BILL
- Creates a universal K-12 ESA program for all New Hampshire students
- Removes the household income threshold for eligibility into the program
- Each family receives $5,255 for educational expenses
SB 263 – BLOCKING PERMANENT MEDICAID EXPANSION
- Would have prolonged the state Medicaid program by repealing the sunset date and making expansions permanent
- Costs would rise to $740 million for the rest of FY2024 to FY2025
Notable Anti-Growth Legislation:
HB 1178 – NEW SMALL BUSINESS MANDATE
- Mandates for businesses with 15 or more employees to pay them unused vacation days
- Forces small businesses to sustain de facto financial penalties for employee termination
- Increases state spending by $2 million
HB 1322 – SUPERCHARGED MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE
- Increases the minimum wage to $11 per hour in 2025 and $17 per hour in 2029
- Pegs the minimum wage and base tip rate increase to inflation beginning in 2030 and prohibits decreasing the rate
- Will lead to fewer jobs and puts constraints on small businesses through diminished profit margins
HB 1377 – BLOCKING RIGHT TO WORK PROTECTIONS
- Prohibits employers from conditioning employment on participating in a union, payment of fees or dues, or referrals by a union
- Prohibiting union dues from being deducted from an employee’s paycheck without their written approval
- Restricts labor strikes with the intention to pressure employers and employees in embracing pro-union values through intimidation and threats
Note: This Scorecard is based on selected votes and does not reflect a legislator’s entire voting record. The Club for Growth Foundation does not endorse or oppose any legislator for public office.
EXCERPTS:
In 2024, 13 of 14 Republican state senators and 129 of 197 House Republicans earned a perfect score in the State Economic Scorecard from the Club for Growth, a conservative, pro-free market organization.
Three-term Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, is the only Republican who didn’t get a 100% score. She received a 79% score.
The lowest ranked House Republican in the survey was five-term Rep. Dan Wolf, R-Newbury, who received a score of 33%.
The highest-ranking House Democrat in the survey was Milford Rep. Maria Perez, who received a score of 18%.
Elected as a Democrat in 2022, Perez changed her party affiliation to independent in 2023. She did not seek reelection last year.
All 10 Senate Democrats and 164 of the 191 House Democrats were given a score of 0 on the survey, Club for Growth officials said.
“Conservatives in New Hampshire stood strong against reckless spending and government overreach, earning near-perfect scores in both chambers of the New Hampshire State Assembly,” said Club for Growth Foundation President David McIntosh.
“Despite unified liberal opposition, lawmakers halted significant welfare growth, stopped a permanent $740 million Medicaid expansion plan, and advanced transformative school choice with universal EFAs. While these actions delivered meaningful wins for New Hampshire, the continued push from liberals to impose small business mandates, increase the minimum wage, and eliminate right-to-work protections underscores the ongoing need for conservative lawmakers in Concord to stand firm on pro-growth policy.”
The House GOP majority was the smallest since the Civil War. Voters last November approved giving Republicans a gain of two dozen seats in the House and two seats in the Senate.
The group reviewed more than 400 votes and settled on a rating based on 19 House and 8 Senate votes.
The average Senate GOP score was 99% while 97% was the average House GOP score.