Jamie Paulson: Richard Littlefield's record deserves 'showing up' scrutiny

To The Daily Sun,

Richard Littlefield recently suggested voters can tell who “cares and who doesn’t” by whether candidates attend particular forums. If showing up is the standard, his own record deserves the same scrutiny.

During his one term in the New Hampshire House, Littlefield attended 84% of session days compared with a 91% House average and participated in 78% of roll call votes compared with an 88% average. His attendance and voting participation were substantially below average.

In February 2025, Littlefield wrote, “I would never boycott my job as a representative whether in the majority or not.”

Republican candidates have hardly been inaccessible to voters. At both the Belknap County Republican Candidate Night and the Belknap County Young Republicans barbecue, candidates went table to table speaking directly with constituents and answering questions one-on-one. They have also appeared at Old Home Days and other community events throughout the area.

So the relevant question is not whether someone attended one particular forum. It is whether candidates have made themselves available to the people they seek to represent.

Littlefield’s own political record has also changed considerably. His New Hampshire Liberty Alliance rating declined from 86.6% in 2021 to 71.1% in 2022. As recently as 2024, he described himself as a 20-year Republican who would “never abandon” his conservative principles. Today, he says leaving the GOP was the right decision and endorses Democratic candidates.

Littlefield is entitled to change his views, but repeated shifts can leave voters wondering whether they reflect a consistent governing philosophy or positions that change with the political winds.

If “they show up” is the standard, the entire public record should count.

Jamie Paulson

Laconia