Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas sharply criticized his opponent’s record on abortion and LGBTQ rights Friday, while Republican Russell Prescott called on the incumbent to take down “negative” advertisements that he said misrepresented his record.
Those clashes were the tensest moments in the 1st Congressional District forum hosted by NHPR and the Granite State News Collaborative. Over the course of an hour, the two touched on the economy, immigration, and term limits – with Pappas emphasizing his bipartisan work in Washington and Prescott his plans to work toward a balanced federal budget if elected.
Pappas, who is seeking a fourth term, recalled that as a young state lawmaker he spoke against a bill that would have prohibited New Hampshire from recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages. Prescott was the lead sponsor of that bill, he said.
“As a young person in New Hampshire, I was left wondering whether there was a space for me in this state,” said Pappas, who is gay. “And so I think that Russell has shown throughout this career that he’s out of step with New Hampshire.”
Prescott, a former executive councilor and state senator, said he is “fine” with gay marriage today and that Pappas has been “very gracious” to acknowledge his views have changed.
“That’s why I do call on you to bring down those negative ads that do not reflect my record,” Prescott said.
That clash extended to the issue of abortion. Prescott said he would not support any changes to abortion policy on a federal level, and he has said that the issue should remain with the states. He said that while serving on the Executive Council, he voted for judges that supported Roe v. Wade, and that in the state Senate, he voted on an amendment that would’ve upheld those protections in the state.
But Pappas said his opponent has “flip flopped on this more than Donald Trump has.”
“He’s trying to wordsmith something here, but he shouldn’t be let off the hook for the fact that he supports Dobbs,” Pappas said, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade. “He supports overturning and taking away a woman’s right to choose in this country, and putting this power in the hands of politicians, as opposed to women.”
Prescott criticized Pappas for running a “negative” campaign, casting himself in contrast.
“It’s wrong,” Prescott said of negative campaigning, “and so that’s why I try and run it as best as I can, a positive campaign on the issues.”
You can watch a recording of the forum here. Here are two other issues the candidates addressed in the hour-long conversation.
Economy
Throughout the forum, Prescott emphasized his support of balancing the federal government’s budget. He said he would focus on cutting spending rather than raising taxes, breaking with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent reiteration of his support of tariffs on imported goods.
“That is a tax on every single person in the United States,” he said of the tariff proposal. “That’s why I propose that we balance our budget without any increase in taxes. We keep the way that our tax base is right now and work within our means.”
Asked for specifics on where he would make cuts, Prescott said “all departments are larger than they need to be” and that he would support trimming down the government to lower the deficit.
On inflation, Pappas said the country has come a long way since the depths of the pandemic. He supports expanding the child tax credit, which he said cut child poverty in half across the country.
“I believe there’s a role for the government to play to provide the kind of investments in the middle class, as opposed to pulling the rug out from under our working families,”Pappas said.
How long to stay in Congress?
Prescott and Pappas also broke on whether there should be restrictions placed on how long someone can serve in Congress.
Prescott has signed a pledge that he would cosponsor and vote for an amendment that would limit U.S. representatives to three terms and senators to two terms. He said turnover is necessary to make sure people don’t get “entrenched” in Congress.
“I think six years is plenty of time to be able to get your work done,” Prescott said.
Pappas said he has not supported term limits but that some elected officials stay in Washington “far too long.” He pointed instead to his support of eliminating partisan gerrymandering, which enables parties to draw districts in a way that limits competition.
“If you gave voters the option of truly being able to shape the outcome of elections and not just have it settled by primary voters,” Pappas said, “that’s going to be better off for the electorate and also achieve the kind of turnover that we do need in Congress.”
NHPR and the Granite State News Collaborative will host forums with the gubernatorial candidates at noon on Oct. 22 and with 2nd Congressional District candidates at noon on Oct. 28.
