David Ferber: Urging voters to support Cecil Abels in Senate District 6

To The Daily Sun,

This letter concerns the race between Sen. James D. Gray and Cecil Abels for New Hampshire Senate District 6. I assume that MAGA Republicans will vote for Sen. Gray, that Democrats will vote for Cecil Abels, and that neither group can be convinced otherwise. Therefore, this letter is directed at independent voters and moderate Republicans. I urge people in these groups to support Cecil Abels.

This election, even at the state level, is a referendum on Donald Trump and his hard-right agenda. Former GOP Congressman Fred Upton has said, “Trump has the command over the Republican Party in every state and county. There’s no anti-Trump Republican bastion” (NYT, Sept. 16). Sen. Gray is a MAGA Republican. For example, he has voted to allow public college faculty to carry firearms on campus, to require government-issued photo ID to vote, to oppose a $15 per hour minimum wage, to prohibit Sanctuary Cities, and against a constitutional right to reproductive autonomy. The list goes on and on. If readers support these and similar ideas, then they should vote for Sen. Gray. He is their candidate, and will continue to carry the torch for Donald Trump and his authoritarian agenda.

Cecil Abels, by contrast, supports reproductive rights, reinstating the Interest & Dividends Tax in a way that protects moderate-income retirees, instituting common-sense gun legislation and protecting New Hampshire’s beautiful natural environment. He opposes giving tax breaks to large corporations and education vouchers to people who don't need them. In other words, he supports the agenda of a moderate Democrat: protecting the rights of ordinary citizens and not the top 1%, trying to lower the cost of living, and protecting women’s and workers’ rights. If these and similar issues are important to voters, it is crucial they vote for Cecil Abels.

David Ferber

Gilmanton