Forsythe campaign leading state senate district 4 in funding, endorsements

LACONIA — With the September 14 primary election now just a few days away, Republican candidate Jim Forsythe perhaps has reason to have high expectations. His campaign has attracted some notable endorsements and in his three-way primary fight, Forsythe has had the resources to spend 10 times the amount that George Hurt, his nearest competition, has. Will the voters follow suit? Forsythe will have to wait until Tuesday night. Until then, he'll be on the campaign trail, attempting to prove that he's the best GOP candidate to face Democrat Andrew Hosmer in the general election.

Wednesday of this week was a typically busy day in the life of a state senate candidate. His morning was spent submitting his receipts and expenditure report, in which he detailed how he's raised $68,871 and spent about $60,000. He then went to work at the University of New Hampshire, where he's a part-time research professor helping to construct a wind tunnel. By 5 p.m., he was in Laconia for a "taxpayer town hall" held in his honor at the public library, which was attended by about 20 people. He went straight from that event to the regular meeting of the Belknap County Republican Committee, where he stayed long enough to assure attendants that he was "pro-life."

Hurt's campaign could be characterized as a low-budget, face-to-face venture where the candidate and his supporters attempt to reach voters by knocking on their doors. Hurt was in business in Laconia for 30 years and has longer roots in Belknap County. In comparison, Forsythe's 12 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and five years teaching at the Air Force Academy has moved him through nine states in the country. He currently resides in Strafford and keeps a campaign office on Canal Street to bolster his presence in Belknap County.

"We've got a lot of volunteers working, doing phone calls and knocking on doors," Forsythe said a few minutes before his event on Wednesday at the library.

"Tonight we've come together to talk about taxes," he said at the beginning of the meeting, which also featured as guest speakers former State Senator George Lovejoy and former U.S. and State Senator Gordon Humphrey.

Forsythe told the audience that between the state and federal level, government spends $20,000 per person. "How do we expect our economy to run?... The burden of spending is crushing our economy."

"There's taxes on everything we do, it all adds up," he continued, stating that the solution is on reducing spending and not increasing fees and taxes to make budgets balanced. "All more sources of revenue will do is allow us to do more spending."

Forsythe said he was in favor of reducing the business profits tax and the rooms and meals tax. He also took aim at local property taxes, which he said have been inflated due to the state's practice of shifting costs down onto counties and municipalities, and creating unfunded mandates.

Primarily, though, he said the main driver of property taxes is often the cost of local education. "If you want to look at property taxes, you've got to look at education... The cost of education has doubled in the last decade, that's unsustainable." He proposed reducing educational mandates, promoting local control of education and implementing voucher systems and charter schools.

"What we need in New Hampshire and in the senate, every senator needs to be able to lead." Referring to his military experience, he said, "I can lead, I'm used to leading."

He'll find out on Tuesday if voters agree.

CAPTION with FORSTYHE in AA:

Jim Forsythe, a Republican candidate for the state senate, chats here with State Representative Jenn Coffey after a campaign event on Wednesday. In the background are former US Senator Gordon Humphrey and his wife Patty, of Chichester. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)