NH Now: Chris Sununu 6-22-20

Governor Sununu vehemently denies the Senator Feltes claim that campaign donation was received as a payback for a $2 million no-bid contract.

Sununu also said his focus hasn’t been on the campaign, unlike his opponents, “I haven’t made a single phone call in months to raise a dollar. I haven’t hired a single full-time staffer for my campaign… It’s all been on high gear for my opponents… I’ve been busy managing the state.”

In an interview with WKXL’s Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu discusses the possibility of another surge in COVID-19 cases, describes the effectiveness of the Governor’s Mainstreet Funding Program for small businesses, evaluates the infrastructure needed during the pandemic for the elections–the September Primaries and the November General Elections, and vehemently denies allegations by State Senate Majority Leader Feltes that the Governor is used a no-bid contracta as a way of rewarding a campaign contribution from the Granite State Recovery Center.

Governor Sununu is confident that the healthcare systems in New Hampshire will be able to cope with an influx of COVID cases as we enter phases which reopen the economy and as schools reopen next fall. The state has stockpiled enough PPE-Personal Protection Equipment, ventilators, and testing supplies.

About 5,500 businesses have applied for assistance from the Governor’s Mainstreet Relief Fund which will provide grants to “for profit” small businesses which have less than $20 million per year in revenue. The difference between what the business usually makes and how much it has lost due to the lockdown is calculated by the Department of Revenue Administration. An appeals process has been set up for businesses who made mistakes in filling out their forms. Within a week, a website will able to show which businesses received grants and how much funding they received. Hundreds of millions of dollars were paid out to thousands of businesses across the state.

The Governor asserts that the infrastructure which is in place will have no problem dealing with an increased volume of absentee ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Sununu dismisses claims of voter suppression or foreign interference in the upcoming elections.

New Hampshire has done better than most states in the northeastern part of the country in the number of cases and number of mortalities in long term care facilities. Following strict protocols and increased testing have made it possible to control outbreaks. This week families will be allowed to visit their loved ones in long term facilities.

In the last part of the interview, Governor Sununu was informed that one of his potential opponents in the gubernatorial race has accused him of taking a campaign donation to a firm which does business with the state. Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes alleges that the Sununu Campaign recently accepted a maximum donation from the Granite State Recovery Center and the state then gave a $2 million no bid contract to the rehabilitation program. The Governor was unaware of the charge by Dan Feltes and stated that there was no quid pro quo. He claims that Granite State Recovery Center was contacted months ago for the state to acquire extra beds which were needed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Governor Sununu maintains that he has been too busy to work on his reelection and has not made a single call to raise any money for his campaign.