NH Journal has published an op-ed from Rep. Sweeney announcing support for House Majority Leader Jason Osborne in the race to succeed retiring Speaker Sherman Packard. The column, which appeared at NH Journal, walks through what the speakership actually requires and reviews the House Republican record of the last six years. It also makes the case that the speaker’s race and the November election are the same contest.
The column opens by stating the endorsement plainly, as NH Journal reports:
I am supporting Jason Osborne for speaker.
NH Journal
Much of the piece draws on firsthand service on the leadership team, describing how Osborne handles the floor and how he communicates with rank-and-file members during difficult votes. That section of the NH Journal op-ed reads:
He counts the votes himself. He tells members the truth about where a bill stands instead of letting them walk into an ambush. He takes the incoming fire so rank-and-file members do not have to.
NH Journal
The op-ed then turns to the policy record built under the current majority, listing tax repeal, education choice, spending restraint and Second Amendment protections among the results:
We repealed the interest and dividends tax, and New Hampshire is now the only state in the country with no income tax and no sales tax. We passed universal school choice and put parents back in charge of their children’s education.
NH Journal
From there the column argues that a majority has to be earned again every cycle, which makes campaign work a legitimate qualification for the job. On that point, the NH Journal piece notes:
He has spent this summer on the road with our candidates, helping them raise money, knock on doors and sharpen a message that wins in the towns where our margins are thin. More than 120 members and candidates have committed to him.
NH Journal
The final section looks ahead to housing, energy and the next state budget, written from the perspective of a House Finance Committee member who expects federal funding to tighten. The column closes its case on Osborne’s background in the numbers:
Osborne has degrees in economics and mathematics. He reads the fiscal notes. He knows what a bill costs before he calls the vote, and he knows the difference between legislation that makes a point and legislation that becomes law.
NH Journal
Taken together, the op-ed presents the speakership as a job of committee assignments, calendars and vote counting, and argues that six years of leadership experience is the relevant preparation for the term ahead. The full column, including its discussion of the swing seats that will decide control of the chamber, is available at NH Journal.
Read the full story at NH Journal.
