Jennifer Peabody: Reclaiming the Republican Party is important this election

To The Daily Sun,

This week, traditional conservatives must refuse to vote for candidates who seek not to preserve our state, but to dismantle it from within. The Free State Project was conceived in 2001 as a plan to import 20,000 activists into a state to seize political leverage. New Hampshire’s low-population districts and a 400-member House provided an easy entry point for an ideological takeover. Knowing that fringe parties rarely win elections, the FSP took the path of political camouflage: running under the Republican banner.

Where conservatives work to cut waste and improve efficiency, the FSP seeks to starve public services out of existence. We saw the fallout in Grafton, Croydon, and the Gunstock Mountain takeover attempt. Their agenda has manifested in reckless attempts to decimate local budgets, strip public schools and libraries of resources and undermine zoning authority. Free Stater, House Majority Leader, and candidate for Speaker of the House Rep. Jason Osborne openly threatens to “put a leash on some of these local governments.”

When state-level responsibilities are gutted under the guise of liberty, the expenses don’t magically disappear. Instead, the financial burden is downshifted directly onto our local towns, cities, and taxpayers. That is not fiscal conservatism; it is ideological vandalism disguised as tax reform.

The FSP has repeatedly advanced fringe proposals that bring needless national embarrassment from flirting with unconstitutional secession to decriminalizing prostitution. This alienates common-sense voters and threatens our legislative majorities.

Look closely at the Republican House and Senate candidates. NH Liberty Alliance (the FSP’s PAC) ranks politicians on allegiance to the agenda. NH Deserves Better names FSP candidates. Vote for citizens who understand that with liberty comes responsibility and who view public office as a sacred trust rather than a wrecking ball. Reclaim our party and vote for authentic, principled Republicans.

Jennifer Peabody

Gilmanton