Donor fatigue?

If you didn’t think that Chris Pappas, the Dem congressman from the 1st district, is concerned about his re-elect chances next year, consider this.

After receiving an unsolicited $5k donation from a PAC run by NY congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – famous member of “The Squad” – he treated it as if he was sent a basket of food grown at the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

To say he dropped the contribution like a hot potato would be understating how quickly he made up his mind to return it.

The reason: According to a Pappas campaign spokesperson, the contribution was a “clerical error” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Along with all the other $5k contributions PAC made to similar swing district Dems, we s’pose.

Multiple choice

Here’s a thought. The NH House has passed a bill requiring students in the state’s university and community college systems to pass the 128-question U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services civics naturalization test before receiving their diplomas. As sponsor Michael Moffett, a Loudon GOPer, said in rebutting critics of the bill, the current situation has resulted in “ … well, I hate to say it — ignorant, low-information college graduates who can’t name their U.S. senator, much less know who their state rep is.”

Good point. So why not require anyone who wins an elected post in state government to pass the very same test before being allowed to take office?

Bet that would put an end to folks sponsoring bills like this.

“New Hampshire isn’t entitled to automatically go first.”

– Ex-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada assuming his usual quadrennial stance against the NH prez primary.

Playing with ‘firebrand’

If anything, the recent decision by the Nash. GOP Committee to not only invite embattled (to say the least) Fla. congressman Matt Gaetz to speak at a fundraiser this summer says more about the NH GOP than folks may want to know.

First, MG is pretty much persona non grata in the GOP right now – even a 10-foot pole isn’t long enough for his fellow caucus members on the Hill. Second, the allegations – that he had sex with a minor and violated sex trafficking laws – are ultracreepy.

Which makes it more-than-interesting that – even after Guv Sununu publicly criticized the move and urged the committee to rescind the invite – the Nash. GOPers doubled down on their decision.

As DL Lothrop, the GOPers’ vice chair, texted John DiStaso of WMUR, after a meeting: “We have over 50 people here and the overwhelming response from our members was do NOT back down on our invitation.”

And why would DL? As she told NECN, “I was looking for someone who was, like, a firebrand.”

To hell what message it says to folks who actually take the charges MG faces seriously.

And no word on what the Nash. GOPers would do if and when the DoJ actually files those charges against MG.

Radio frequency

You can’t get around the feeling that Guv Sununu seems to be itching for a new gig next year.

Maybe it’s not because he’s actually tired of being our guv, but every once in a while you get a sense he wants to try something new. After all, this executive order thing is gettin’ pretty old.

Could it be US senator? That’s pretty much what the politico class is hoping for, what with a potential mano-a-mano with Maggie Hassan, another exguv who moved on to (inset color of your choice) pastures in DC.

But how about this possibility? A morning radio host gig on WEEI, the sports radio station in Boston.

As many peeps know, the guv just looooves that station, in particular “The Greg Hill Show,” which he apparently has on speed dial, considering how often he appears on it. In fact, that was one of the key venues he used to tell NH-ites that he was going to lift the mask mandate. (The WashPost was the other medium he used to gear us in NH up about his pending plans mask removal, BTW.)

And even a casual listener to the GH show knows Guv Chris is his absolute fave guv.

And now, lo and behold, there just happens to be an opening on the GH Show, now that co-host Danielle Murr has announced she’s leaving.

Sure, there may be a gender issue, but we’re talkin’ about the show’s fave guv. And, as NH’ers have known for a long time, he’d have no problem filling 4 hours of airtime.

MAKING THE ROUNDS

Now that House Speaker Sherm Packard has been caught on a hot mic opining about a female rep – who apparently gets under his skin – “I know; she’s just a bitch” – can we now call the language/insult/profanity trend in the House an epidemic?

Now that the mask mandate has been lifted, does that mean the Thursday-at-3 press conferences have been too?

That “lemonade stand” bill is all the evidence you need that something’s wrong at the State House.

There are a bunch of mayors – and selectboards, BTW – that are getting more than a little pissed off at the budget happenings in Concord.