>> new hampshire governor chris sununu is seeking a third term this election year against democrat dan feltes, they took part in a recent debate that focused on the coronavirus, race relations, , policing and climae change. this is just under one hour. >> the following is a new hampshire elections 2020 special presentation. the exchange candidate debate from nhpa in partnership with new hampshire pbs. >> welcome to nhpa candidate debate for new hampshire governor. i am more pinoy along with senior political reporter josh rogers. these debates are produced in collaboration with new hampshire pbs and we're probably help guidelines as we bring them to you today. all four of us are in separate studios and all of us wore masks in public areas of our office. here's our format. each candidate will have 60 60 seconds deliver an opening statement and then moved to

questions with 60 seconds to respond and in many cases josh or i will likely follow up with a question or point of clarification which will get 30 additional seconds. in the case of a direct attack on a candidate that person will be given 30 seconds to respond. also i'd like to strongly discourage our candidates today from interrupting each other. our candidates are incumbent republican governor chris sununu running for a third term. he's a former executive counselor. welcome back to the exchange. retreading. >> thanks so much. >> also with us didn't credit delbene dan feltes, state senator from concord and the senate majority leader and senator feltes thank you for your time. will start with the 60-second opening statements and go in alphabetical order so senator feltes you first.

that's where i come from a working-class family. it's an honor to be here with all of you. i come of a family -- my dad worked at a furniture factory 45 years, same one doing the same job day in and day out for 45 years. my mom part-time work while racing for kids. they fought for working-class folks. each and everyday fnc on a budget of serving as your governor i will fight for working-class families. >> thank you. governor sununu go ahead. >> thank you very much and first big think everyone here. we've got two amazing times over the past year, big thanks to my own team dr. benjamin chan, the

men men women of the national guard come the team at unemployment, all the folks that come together in a very difficult time and gotten results. when it comes to the campaign i understand the frustration on the other side, i understand dennis frustrated that democrats and republicans across the spectrum are supporting -- he is 20 points down in the polls and even today the matter democrat party has pulled his ads on cable tv but i have to tell you that is no excuse for the negativity, the attacks and lies, it's not appropriate. i don't care how down you are in the campaign. you has to talk about the future of what you're bringing. that's exactly what new hampshire needs. we have a lot of challenges ahead of us in 2021 and we can tackle them with the right experience with the right team and with positivity. i been transparent and honest every everyday when it a step in frof the camera for the state and i will keep doing. >> we will get into our questions and josh we will start off with you.

>> good morning all. governor, the latest covid-19 case numbers have shown a spike, cases are double what they were two weeks ago. hospitalizations while still though are rising. i know you and your team is a higher numbers are mostly tied to more testing but throughout this pandemic you of the decisive need to let circumstances dictate if the state should as you put it flex it reflects that restrictions. should we tighten up now? if not, what will be the benchmark? >> cases are going up. knowing in the fall as schools open as universities open as you all kind of come indoors come cases will rise. they are rising much more drastically and other parts of the country but we shouldn't think that can't happen here. as governor by java to plan for the worse and hope for the best. we've been able to put all of these new measures in place whether it's a great job of getting ppe or testing better than almost any state. we listen to 500 test today, now we do 10,000 and our percent positive rate is still about 1%,

that's good, good. the number of individuals and hospital of 60 or 17. they just be well over 100. we have capacity and help you sift and make sure doesn't get overrun. we opened up whether schools or restaurant or retail in a very surgical and strategic way. if we have to flex bike with hockey, very, very tough decision to make that we can be strategic about how reflects things as a go for but we were use the david and dr. chan to inform us. >> you did mention hockey. we had fierce print out of restaurants. infections as perceived population are quite small but some districts have closed temporarily, , decisions there making on their own. given the clusters we've had from indoor restaurant, and some church gatherings things you shut down earlier this year, consider limits in the segments of our society against? >> not at this time. something we'll keep -- we look

at the data hour by hour. that's part of something we'll looking to do now. we have other to play. luckily when we see a cluster or spike we work with the restaurant come work with the organization and usually can get folks at a better path and the results show. we have some of the the most ns in the country, one of the strongest economies by this because dr. chan and public health and myself are specific but have go about it but we always have another card to play. >> one more follow-up to you. something that's become more apparent as as a get deeper ino the pandemic is the disproportionate economic effect covid-19 has had on women, high rates of unemployment, high rate of wage loss. the real possibility some of the lost jobs may not return.

we are one of the best with what we called middle-class pay, lowest poverty rate, some of the highest wages. it's not about going after one specific area but making sure the jobs are there, management expense of the economy backup and we've been successful. >> thanks government. if you were governed by that what would you do now given the case number we're seeing from the coronavirus? >> listen to the medical experts. that something donald trump and chris sununu don't do, common sense. to make sure we take care of our people. that's what the medical experts have recommended. actually do school reopening plan not hunted down to the local level like trump and sununu did pick a subnet to criticize trump and sununu for

not doing anything on school reopening, no public health standards. we put for our own plan and for my medical experts, informed by the former commissioner of hhs. we have to look out for people on the ground. we have to look out for healthcare system and make sure we protect and strengthen obamacare. chris sununu just like donald trump supports the repeal of obamacare. chris sununu just like donald trump has rolled back and restricted access to safe legal abortion. you will hear a lot today of donald trump is itself an a+ come risk is itself a gold standard but before back to protect and strengthen our healthcare system. >> polling indicates most approve of his performance managing a defendant. a pope with the numbers i think 83% including 70% democrats. why are the people who think the governor has been a good jump on this front are wrong? >> the people i talked to they need help. they are struggling.

working families are struggling. they don't know what the next week will bring let alone the next day. health insurance and are healthcare is critical in the midst of a pandemic. as a legal aid lawyer i thought the health insurance companies for about ten years dating asks us to healthcare including during the last economic crisis, great recession. battling wall street banks for folks holocaust answer. as a state senator battled health-insurance industry to get prescription drug release, medicaid expansion, protect pre-existing conditions. while i i was taking on health insurance companies chris as took over 100,000 campaign contributions from health insurance industry, supports repeal of obamacare. before move forward together, we have to protect and strengthen obamacare. it has a supreme court argument on november 10. judge barrett being put forth by president trump, chris sununu supports the process. we have to move forward together. lift each other up. the stories of working families and healthcare stability is

critical to moving forward in this pandemic. >> governor, will that you a chance to discuss this a bit later in the show but one more for you senator feltes pick many businesses that would've been devastated this spring when unemployment was at its height were kept afloat by federal aid. more of that could be coming to new hampshire but more restrictions, economic restrictions in the being needed later this fall and winter and more money doesn't come from washington, what would you do to support businesses that might otherwise be ravaged by the economic impacts? >> we need to support businesses for small businesses in particular with the covid cares act relief fund. there's $1.25 billion that we've taken control of by chris sununu. unilateral control. to the people watching and listening at home how much of his 1.25 billion did you get? asked how much did your family get? i bet you didn't get much. do you know who got a lot? corporate campaign donors to his

campaign and that's the god on a stricter we have to look at for small businesses on main street, working people and working families and strengthen and bolster our healthcare system. >> governor, we will give you speedy the main street relief fund i set up was a most successful business relief fund in the country. know whether state put up the money we put up for businesses and employees from tens of thousands, 6500 small businesse businesses. go tell the small diners or the flower shops for the numerous businesses i walked into. some of them have a couple employees. they all got many to help pay the bills and taxes. know whether state did what we did. we put over 500 million, we're doing a part two. we've been at the for the nonprofits, self-employed. know what else -- not florida, texas, not new. i couldn't be more proud keeping this business is going through tough economic times. >> let's talk specifically about how this pandemic has affected elderly granite staters. in your debate on w in your post

your trumpeted numbers in ways that bolstered your particular argument. what specifically would you have done differently than the governor? >> the true measure of society is a is the way it treats its most vulnerable. i represented folks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities when i was a legal aid lawyer and i thought for the most little in the state city including during this pandemic. putting forth concrete initiatives to help our nursing homes and long-term care facilities bolstering childcare, helping people on unemployment, helping people like diane who is a breast cancer survivor who lost her job, reached out to governor sununu, didn't get response can reach set to me ended up getting her unemployment. in terms of nursing homes and long-term care facilities look we put forward measures to help.

ppe, testing, financial stability and an independent audit and review, comprehensive outside audit and review of what went wrong. let's recommendations for second way. that was vetoed by chris sununu. that would be helpful right now as nursing spikes and more outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. >> an and election campaign funs one thing. chris sununu has a long history opposing obamacare. as an executive council in 2012 he voted down obamacare

healthcare exchange being set up in new hampshire. in 2016 he went on the pledge to repeal obamacare. when asked why he supports donald don't trump he said because donald trump will lend the horrible program that is obamacare. teachers at fragile effort to repeal obama to without and placement. fortunately senators voted no in the u.s. senate and now he wants to go forward with judge barrett nomination to the supreme court. she has a long history of opposition to obamacare. >> just for the record governor sununu didn't sign on to the republican governors letter supporting the nomination to judge. but i'll give you 30 seconds. what about those previous statements and predispositions senator feltes raises that certainly semite opposition to the aca. >> two things. let's talk about the aca. i agree with most americans were all frustrated the promises of lower cost with obamacare didn't come to fruition and that's a lot of frustration we express early on. you don't just do without which

exactly what i'm talking my parties trend and fighting to keep the aca in place. there are other provisions in the period with republicans in 2017 voted to get medicaid expansion for the next five years. that was us in supporting those types of initiatives. you had to judge people on the record and hold elected officials accountable to what the deal. >> for the record medicaid expansion was a bipartisan effort in the state. dating back to long-term care, senator feltes, to you, given the serious toll on her elders physical and mental health that we saw with these shutdowns, i have elderly parent myself and facilities and it was tough. how would you as governor decide whether to clamp down what he's up? what metrics would you use? >> you have to listen to medical experts. that didn't happen early on and independent audit and review was vetoed, .

our assisted living facility in nursing home facilities would be devastated by the repeal of obamacare without a replacement and that's exactly what that federal legislation in 2017 was, a a repeal without a replacement. when it passed the u.s. house chris sununu said was a huge win, then the u.s. senate don't trump and chris sununu a huge loss thankfully. in order to move forward on long-term care and our entire healthcare system we need to protect and strengthen obamacare, make it work -- >> my question though was how would you decide, making that decision as to whether to clamp down restrict comparable restrictions in place on the nursing homes or ease up? this has been tough when elders so that's my question. we already talked about obamacare. >> you need to listen to medical experts. cdc guidance. cdc guidance on indicated routine frequent testing and the provision of ppe was the best

practice. it wasn't until a a month and f or so into the crisis that chris sununu actually took steps and he went up to no-bid contract to do some testing some of the residents of some of the facilities, wholly inadequate. not because of the good work people and grandpa because of the inadequate approach by governor sununu. we've got to move forward. we need to do it independent audit and review. that didn't happen. we talk about transparency, governor sununu vetoed -- >> just want to jump in, i apologize senator feltes but in looking at the clock and it did want to give governor sununu a chance. you said your team is doing a great job when it comes to this the dr. fauci has said vermont is the model for the nation. far more precautions put in place, far earlier than we did. >> vermont is terrific. >> keeping the committee spread low and that extends nursing home, universal testing. what do you think, what are the

others have been better protected if we've been more aggressive? >> you're right come from what has been a great job. though scott and i worked very closely. they denigrate job but mystically. senator feltes said we got testing and ppe early. early on in spent in the senator feltes was at home and it was dr. chandler myself a use usedo run long-term care facilities. is that we did listen to experts can win some of the best experts in the country right here helping us make these tough decisions. i was talking to dr. birx and dr. fauci one on one on these issues. we tackle these issues and on. we have the most aggressive testing program in the country. we test more folks in long-term care for residents and nurses than any other state because we were so good and aggressive. that is nothing do with senator feltes. he was oh for the first three months and yet they passed a bill on june 33 months after this will thing had started. they came back for two days and fast to build to do we had already done. that's just political talking

points. we will have challenges in long-term care. nothing we can have when we work with experts and focus on the stakeholders at risk. >> coming up in our next segment josh rogers will tackle some of the politics of this. we're going to take a very quick break, be right back. this is the exchange. ♪ ♪ >> you are watching a new hampshire elections 2020 special presentation, the exchange candidate debates in partnership with new hampshire pbs. >> come back we are talking with republican governor chris senate and his democratic challenger senator feltes. josh, please. >> we moved to leadership.

during the ongoing study emerges you've been able to run with the free hand, the legislators been posted at a session of the judge ruled you have the authority to distribute federal covert aid without the oversight but if you're elected and a state of emergency and you will be back having to work more closely with the statehouse that could be as it is now larger under democratic control based on your track record, the record number of theaters, gridlock before the council and key nominations come should the public expect things to be different? >> this is this is a pandemic ad to take strict action. the legislature recessed themselves. they went away. when it comes to doing a deal for ppe or testing it was meant by minute three in the morning i had a phone call, fema, everybody, felting to get it together and just to make decisions very quickly which is exactly what the state of emergency allows the government

to be flexible and we where incredible success with our nimbleness. there are a lot of pieces of the state of emergency and the orders that the legislature should take over and trends of i hope you can keep the telemedicine stuff i i createdd put in place, let's keep that permanent. there are certain things and restrictions that are going to have to stay in place more long-term at about that should come before the legislature but when senator feltes and democrats should be to create bureaucracy to slow things down, that would've been a disaster for the state and the fact they had the gall to think bureaucracy is what you should input into a pandemic is absolute wrong approach. being nimble is one of the reason why we've got such great results for the state. >> senator, quick follow. >> now is not time for victory laps. donald trump gives himself in a place, chris sununu gives himself the gold standard. now start the time to pat yourself on the back. we have to fight a and plan for the future, go forward with

stable healthcare system. i can help people all the way through to this pandemic come people like diane who fell through the cracks and help them get and upon come help small business owners navigate this. we made common sense progress on telemedicine. we codify that into law, passed a number of measures to move new hampshire forward. but this is fundamentally an issue of working together. >> let me catch you off there. the intent of the crash was and maybe this is wishful thinking to envision a return to pre-pandemic world in which when your governor when you inaugurated last your you said divided government which is what voters chose requires leadership to embrace the spirit of cooperation. since then you vetoed 78 bills. you decide to let the states highest court go without the chief justice for more than the you know because executive council disagreed with your first choice which is their prerogative. given that, what evidence is

there of your spirit of cooperation? >> in the past year i signed more legislation in 2019 with the democrat legislature and maggie hassan evident. that's not a knock on maggie we get more done and even the four years maggie hassan did. we sang lots of legislation. did i say no to all of the extreme legislation? i created taxes and fees and surcharges over $1 a billion dollars over the next ten years, i vetoed. we have a great record and that's where the executive council, that's why i'm not putting forth the chief justice because they put politics in because when they said you're a republican so we can do it. i put forth republicans and democrats and been successful. when to let the ugliness of washington politics invade the process that was wrong. i'm not going to put forth nominees to have to go through that. >> i want to follow-up. when you sat on the council of the governor proposed the council disposes, you have to get three vote.

when you put up the attorney general to the chief justice you didn't have the votes to do so. >> he was most qualified candidate. he came with amazing support, dozens of judges and lawyers democrats that this is a guy but it was a political move. for 200 years there was so politics involved. i worked with john lynch and maggie hassan and republicans and democrats an amazing success until all of a sudden came to a grinding halt because they let that type of attitude, , there's no place for that and i stood strong -- >> politics on the council i've never heard of it but you, senator feltes. >> so 79 piece of legislation vetoed. 65 which had bipartisan support. we're talking everything from job training, addiction treatment service at universal universal background checks come and independent bipartisan redistribution commission, waiver or testing and treatment. bipartisan work, three

bipartisan bills come paid family medical leave insurance was bipartisan. the problem is not a democrat, or republican problem it's a chris sununu problem and if we are going to move forward we have to win this race. >> senator, question of you under leadership front. you talk about having been a legal aid lawyer and experience of representing people facing tough economic circumstances but i want to ask about your administrative experience. what in your background suggest you are qualified as a manager to run sprawling bureaucracy like new hampshire's governor? >> shared their ways and means committee concert on the state senate for three terms conservative legal aid lawyer for about a decade. proud of that service helping people as best i could including managing thousand justice project, the casework, the finances and the great work, managing the attorneys in the casework to say people's homes

in the great recession, battling wall street banks. i know i was never white frankly gifted a ski resort like my opponent. i managed to help people save their homes during that same time that he was gifted that ski resort. the difference of background and perspective. i will always look out for workers on her front lines. talk a lot about teams come the government talks about the team. the team of state employees come state employs the state associations endorse me in this race. the state troopers and state police endorsed me in this race. quite frankly, governor, your team once a new coach. >> to be clued you asked dan feltes what kind of management experts come zero. yes to enter. he's never banas after managed the budget process, built a team, had to stay at nights worrying how do would make payroll the next day. dan has taken shots at my business for so long and i couldn't be more proud to do now

many thousands of family businesses are out there? i was proud to run my family business. it was a struggle. i had 800 employees and his constant shots of my family. my mom was on the school board. my dentist on the planning board. my brother was a senator. i had brothers on ten committees. my sister once amusing. my other sister was a teacher. that's service, not career politicians. that's what new hampshire is all about and i could not be prouder of the service my family has given the state and for him to constantly take shots at my family and because i ran my family business can we did a great job and -- >> i will give the senator speeded that type of negativity and attack as is unbelievable. every single add on tv as an attack. why is that? >> 30-second. >> first of all, let's just be clear. governor, you talk about your management of the ski resort as an issue. i'm going to talk about it and campaigns about distinctions.

i managed to say people's homes while you are working at the ski resort. that's fine but that's a difference of perspective. i help people struggling in the last economic crisis. i saw the devastation of the budget cuts in the great recession. i seen the devastation of budget cuts that chris sununu is doing right now the people on the ground and on day when i'm going to manage that budget to look at for ordinary people, working people and what you go to. >> you can't sue way out of a crisis. he have to manage, build teams, lift people up with positivity. >> that's exactly why the state employees association supports my campaign. >> please don't interrupt each other. >> my campaign. >> one more to you. you promised to make support for abortion rights a litmus test on all judicial picks and promised to nominate a pro-choice woman to the new hampshire supreme court if you're elected. other of the prerequisites you would require a judicial nominees? >> i don't think it's a surprise

i am pro-choice. it's no surprise i will make a nomination that reflects that view. i will nominate a pro-choice woman. i think it is a surprise to voters that chris sununu is not pro-choice. he says -- >> that's not true. >> around election time in every action in between is anything but. the vetoed insurance coverage for reproductive health care services. he redirected covid relief money to an antiabortion counseling center that he supported the nomination of justice to make abortion illegal and your work to defund planned parenthood the best of the records of who is pro-choice. i am pro-choice every step of the way. >> listen come on executive council i was supporting contracts for women reproductive health before dan feltes was even a syndicate. we stood by them. i've been pro-choice mai tai like the that's not some secret and, of course, we stood by that. they should never be a litmus test. i don't use in a litmus test. in all judges i've nominated, i have never once asked them what political party are you from?

i've never once said where you stand on this issue or that issue? when it comes to that service your to know the folks of the constitution, think of the law, they will not make judicial or emotional, i'm sorry, legal in terms of judging on the law or emotional decisions based on the bench based on their political personality. it has to be a bipartisan nonpartisan effort. there should be no litmus test on information for any judge. >> governor sununu does has a litmus test. >> i do have to jump back in. we've used up all our time on this segment and thank you very much for the spirited back-and-forth and for highlighting some of these issues that a been a part of this campaign. the final report by the governors commission on law enforcement accountability covers a wide range of topics concerning lease and race has been widely praised and the government has endorsed all 48 recommendations.

how much more senator feltes would you do as governor or is this an area where you can say good job? >> i support all those recommendations of that commission. we need to move forward with legalization of marijuana, something that chris sununu opposes and has opposed throughout his entire political career. it's a racial justice issue. we need to move forward with making sure we create the office of racial equity in the governors office make it a priority to root out systemic racism come identify and rooted out. chris sununu just like donald trump deny systemic racism exists. literally denies it. i'm sure he will talk about some of the things he has done but you cannot be a lead on racial justice and support donald trump. chris sununu calls himself a trump guy through and through. i asked him several times last night where the '90s night is d to vote for donald trump. he didn't respond. in order to move forward in this device a time where to turn down

the divisive politics of donald trump and calling yourself a trump guy and standing by donald trump is not the right way to go. >> we would get to that in a moment but the governor has spoken clearly on racism saint it has no place in our state and that the president should have been more unequivocal about condemning white supremacist groups. he has spoken out pretty clearly on this on a number of occasions. what more does he need to say? >> he supporting donald trump and he's not speaking out unequivocally. he's getting pressured to say something and try and have it both ways. on this issue cannot have it both ways. you can't say you are leading on this. look, whether it's subtle or overt, caught on tape or not, each and every day black americans in -- face words and actions and policies that robert of the american dream if not the very life. we did make it not just a moment

but a movement. >> governor, , to you first and lucky to 60 seconds to talk about -- >> first speeded the language the president has used and others in your party and how you position yourself as a republican given some of the language we've seen around people of color. >> i call balls and strikes. when i hear things whether it's out of washington or folks in our own community that we disagree with we write out there. as you pointed out we have made can we conclude those types of things have to be unequivocal. there is no gray area which is why we created the leac commission, black lives matter, aclu called his groups that are demanding and rightly so, a change in attitude, change and message come change in culture which has to happen. we brought them in and we are side-by-side with state police, local law enforcement, police standards and training.

the prosecutors can anybody came in and over a series of today's, 60 days i gave them and they came up with over 40 different recommendations. we agreed with them all and the agree with each other on everyone. that partnership you don't see across the country. you sought in new hampshire and i'm proud to lead those efforts. we're moving forward. that's an awesome process and it's not over. were going to keep coming back and use as a living breathing document to check ourselves and the progressive about how we attacked the station. >> black lives matter leader in new hampshire has issued asserts the demand directed at candidates for state and local offices. i want to ask you about one. they are demanding legislation that removes qualified immunity for all law enforcement officers. is this a proposal to support. >> was no, absolutely not. you start removing qualified immunity, there are the folks on the national level have so we have to remove that, you might as well chase all law enforcement out. you might as well just tell them we're not supporting it.

there are certain things it has to be held in place to make sure we have the right approach. we are instituting community policing, new standards in terms of our training protocols you stand when it comes to partner with mental health. these are all just not things we talked about, things were doing today. over 40 recommendations. we are not talk, we're getting it done and being held up as an example for the rest of the country. .. >> and individual police officers, quite frankly, in terms of the amount of money that they could give in a legal redress is not the same as a

town or city. look, it's about making sure there's justice. >> thank you. >> we're going to move back to the environment. last week you were the lone governor not to sign on to the grid manager iso, asking for a grid more supportable of renewable energy. new hampshire has the lowest renewable energy in the region, solar power and other emissions in the other states. why should new hampshire. >> we're going to make decisions ourselves and we've done a great job. when it comes to off shore wind i've pushed for off shore wind to allow that to be a big part of our energy portfolio going forward. you brought up rooftop solar, enough of the giant solar

arrayses and puts millions in subsidies in the back pacts. every time you turn on a light switch, you're paying a bill, i'm paying a bill, and i've vetoed surcharges. let's make sure they go on individual homes and those are the folks least able to afford the surcharges. it's been changing, i was the only governor saying we're not going to accept off-shore drilling and i got that commitment from the secretary and codify into law. it's not what you say, it's ma you do. it's an important issue for our state. >> senator feltes, i'll go to you. >> it's what you do. and 14 vetoes resulted in new hampshire losing solar jobs. increased rates and distributed generation, solar, energy

efficiency, reduce rates. that's the fact. to move forward to combat the climate crisis we need to step up and take our responsibility, go to clean energy and clean energy jobs, that's in part out we get out this have mess, provide the jobs of tomorrow in clean energy right here in new hampshire. unfortunately, chris sununu stopped that progress not only that said the jury is out on climate change. you know what? the jury is in and it's time to get to that in new hampshire. >> we'll get to that in a moment. we'll take a break, and stay with us for more on candidates for new hampshire governor here on nps ch. >> you are' watching a new hampshire elections 2020 special presentation, the exchange candidate debates from nhpr in partnership with pbs.

welcome back to the debate for new hampshire governor. in this hour we are talking with incumbent republican governor chris sununu and his democratic state challenger concord state senator feltes. before the break we were having a back and forth on climate change and i wanted to give you both an opportunity to jump in there. governor sununu, you first. senator feltes said you don't believe in climate change. >> of course i believe in climate change something we-- this came up in 2018 and came up before we dealt with it. again, i know dan nice a little political talking point with the lies and that kind of stuff, but at some point you have to look at accountability. the fact that dan just said that with all of these hundreds of millions of subsidies that i

vetoed, somehow shah was going to raise rates. we did the exact opposite. solar energy, renewable energy requires subsidies and you can have that balance and make those investments, but you can't put over a billion dollars, what those added up to, a billion dollars in subsidies, there's a smarter way to do it rather than. >> let's move on to-- >> if i could. >> yes, 30 seconds and then move on. >> the governor's words, the governor said the jury is out on science change. no surprise he called himself a trump guy through and through. the vetoes of clean energy, solar distribution, have resulted in rates going up on everyday granite staters. >> that's not true. >> and bipartisabipartisan--

>> i have a question for you, you keep says that the governor said the jury is out on climate change, when were the statements made. >> a few years ago. >> that's convenient. >> it is convenient. >> i mean, dan, you can't keep saying things and have nothing to back it up. >> here is my question, governor sununu has your view evolve on climate change and you-- . i'm an environmental engineer and worked for as an environmental engineering i went to mit and i my job was designing the exact systems that we're talking about and ground water. this is what i do. it's kind of at the core and those experiences are what drive a lot of decisions that we make today, but at the end of the day if we say no to a couple of bills because they cost hundreds of millions of dollars, i veedoed those and i'll veto them again because there's a with a better way to do it, but focuses on solar

panels for those who can afford them the less. >> and you get first crack at this. let's talk about what's available for children on mental health and something you've been looking at senator felt, senate bill 14 signed last year sent more to mental health, but a lot more was there for children's mental health care. according to the concord monitor, they did great reporting, very few of these steps, you're on the ways and means, senator feltes, what have you done to keep track of this, 60 seconds, please. >> i wrote a letter, and we wrote letters to give a specific time frame the end of june, i asked them to stand it up. >> june of last year? >> no, june of this year. >> i see. >> and spring of this year. and we did lead the way. statewide mobile crisis intervention, intervention team for children at risk, keeping

them out of the emergency room. given the needed timely and necessarily mental health treatment in their community. you know, if you break a leg or have a heart attack you get medical care right away. mental health, not so much in new hampshire right now under this administration. we have 27 kids that are waiting in emergency rooms, waiting for mental health treatment that could have been taken care of had the bill that i authored and worked on actually been implemented by chris sununu. he didn't implement it. he went out to an rfp for proposal and the way that the society treats its children. in the word of nelson mandela. i will hold those up and look out for children and families every step of the way. >> same question to you, governor sununu, 20 million allocated to improve it last year and we have a spike as senator feltes said waiting for

beds and many of them children. it's heartbreaking, why are we seeing given years of attention and money on this issue, one person said we don't have a money issue, we have a timing issue, what's the holdup? >> just before the pandemic the wait in emergency rooms was zero, the team, and the pandemic has seen issues. numbers spike up again, but you can't use the pandemic as an example. we've shown we have the model to get to zero and made the investments drf beds across the county and transitional housing. we inherited one of the worst crises in 2017 in history. and we passed legislation on suicide prevention. we've passed intervention to let the teachers get training on mental health issues because they're a part of the solution. and moving children out of the hospital to hampstead where

there's a more kid friendly environment. we're expanding beds. i could go on all day. dan talks about one contract that went out last week, but we passed 25 contracts in the past past two years for across the statement. we have model. pandemic is different and we're not backing away from that channel, but we know the model it work and as we get back to those, getting those to zero and again, i'm the first to get it to zero. there are so many folks counting on us to get back normal, what we call a normal system. >> throw it back to you. thank you, both. >> like it or in the in a presidential year, the top of the ticket looms large and looming particularly charge is president trump, and governor, this question is for you. as we've heard today and that you well know at this point, democrats very much want to make this race in large measure about a comment you made in may of 2019 about the challenges

former massachusetts governor bill weld was mounting on the republican primary against president trump. i'm a trump guy through and through, you said. do you still feel that way, if not why? . you see these ads, every ad that dan puts out is an attack ad. dan wants to be governor, but talks more about trump keeping score, you're up to 20, named him 20 times in over one debate, last night 25, and if you're governor you have to come with real solutions. i support the ticket, i support the president. i'm going to vote for him. i don't think that's a shock for anybody, francly, they have a he been trying to go down the path for four years, i call the balls and strikes like i see this. when donald trump called this a drug infested den, we stood up. and when he talked about charlotteville, unequivocally

there's no place for that gray area, if you will. when fema wasn't giving us testing materials we stood up and said we have to do a better job. look, i'm a new hampshire guy and always going to fight for what gives us that advantage, but i'm also going to work, whether it's trump, biden, clinton, obama, i don't care who is presidenting i'm going to work with whoever is the president for our state. >> and other governors, larry hogan, scott, say they won't or haven't voted for president trump and it's true you criticized the president and you tried to watch the debate with your daughter and you turned it off in disgust. >> embarrassing. >> and do you think that president trump is the best option for the country right now. >> the election going forward and challenges we'll face going forward when i look at those challenges, they're about jobs, about the economy, they're about supporting law enforcement and safety in our communities, these are the anxieties amongst many, options

for our kids, right? dan feltes we got $46 million and he led the charge and wouldn't take the money. and that's what 2021 is about. when we talk about new hampshire, we're not going to say no, we're going to see that the folks in the state get exactly what they need, in their households, not just what the government says. >> and i'll give you 30 seconds? >> are you better off with four years of trump and sununu? i don't think so. working people are taking it on the chin. including family medical leave and for our frontline workers has been vetoed. not only did chris sununu veto minimum wage he took a $31,000 pay raise for himself as governor, and opposed the minimum wage just like trump and calls himself a trump guy through and through, those aren't my words, josh, those

are his words. >> thank you. governor. >> the governor cannot give himself a raise, this is one of the many most outrageous lies that dan is always out there. the legislature, the legislature decides the governor's salary. i've never asked for a raise. if previous governors, i think, hassan and lynch, they were independently wealthy and chose not to take the full salary that's wonderful, that's great, but i get the salary the legislature gives me. this idea that i somehow gave myself a raise is outrageous, i think it says more about dan feltes. >> no, it says respect for frontline workers. ill reject the pay raise that he gave to himself and-- >> you're head of the legislature and you don't know that legislature dictates the pay for the governor. >> you get to decide whether or not to take it. >> i think we've exhausted this one. >> to work for free?

>> and mret me-- >> you're working for $143,000 right now. >> senator, when the keane sentinel enforced governor sununu and the paper hasn't enforced a governor for 30 years, the editorial said you would make a good governor, but given prompts, he, meaning you, chose to highlight that sununu was a trump guy through and through. do you think maybe you've junt estimated the underestimated the voters capacity to evaluate the governor. >> no, we have a plan to-- under chris sign knew knew the uninsured tripled, highest health care costs in the nation under chris sununu and even prior to the pandemic. we put forth a comprehensive health care plan to move

forward on behavioral health and housing plan to move forward building on the bipartisan initiatives. so we have a vision to lift up working people and lifting families, we haven't heard any plans from chris sununu, unin, why he's running for a rare third term of governor so look, this is about lifting up the snuggles of working people and families and those left out and left behind. the economy is not working for everyone and to say it is, with chris sununu said recently, is just know the true. and you know it. >> turn the page on the trump-sununu agenda and look out for working people an and working families. >> let's be clear that dan felts he's working for families. >> that's not true. >> and passed two-- he says he's going to create job when i asked him not to put in the 13% business taxes and he said no, we managed through it and luckily with my administration we didn't get the business tax increase and

dan feltes rejected money from the federal government to open charter schools. look at the results in our state. lowest covid numbers, opportunity at local level and no outbreaks in schools and these are what the people expect when they have a pandemic and leadership and management we'll need in 2021 to bring our economy back and keep our community safe. >> laura is going to have anxiety about the clock. >> i'm willing to give you another 30 seconds with senator feltes and-- >> i'd veto the income tax. >> you wrote it twice. >> that's not true we're talking family medical leave insurance which chris sununu opposes. >> give him his time please, thank you. >> three bipartisan bills, people who need the help, diane, story of diane, battling

breast cancer, didn't have access to paid family medical leave. her daughter had make a go-fund-me page. people with covid not having access to paid family medical leave. this is what it's about, paid for like social security and it's pretty simple. i don't hear the governor calling on social security income tax. >> and i've been working for working families my entire life and a flat-out lie that. >> governor. >> patients shall equal 5 percent per wage per employee per week. everybody pays no matter how much you make, low income family, everybody pays, that's an income tax. payments, that's a tax, shall equal wages, that's your income. you can use whatever linguistic gymnastics, and given my plan on paid family leave because i support it you chose one with income tax and you showed your priorities right there in their moment.

we could have had paid family leave because you knew i would vote for the bill i put forwardments let me make it very clear. >> 30 seconds and then we're done. >> three bills, three bills. >> come on, governor, status quo with tax breaks for big corporations not one person supported his bill. it was not a bill. it was just an effort so he could say in this election that he supports it. he's running for a third term, says support it each of the first two terms did not get it done. they were bipartisan bills democrats on republican on the bim it's not a democrat problem or bl problem. the paid family leave-- >> ill a never support an income tax ever, i promise that to the state of new hampshire. >> neither will i. >> last question for both of you, and 15 seconds, please, who in the opposite party, a living person, you can't say abraham lincoln or fdr. who in the opposite party do

you respect the most and senator feltes do you first, 15 seconds, please? >> welcome-- well, i would think that-- a living person, okay, i'm going to go with probably former state senator nancy styles, i worked with her on a host of issues and terrific to work with, break down insurance barriers for people who needed it. a wonderful person. >> governor sununu a democratic living politician who you respect the most. >> i bobby stevens, remember form former-- bobby stevens, a great manchester guy, trying to think of a local guy and still talk to him a lot. >> i was expecting bobby stevens or nancy stiles. two great individuals. >> thank you, gentlemen, it's two weeks before the election today so my best wishes that you both stay in good health on

the campaign trail moving forward and that concludes that your debate with the candidates for new hampshire governor. i want to thank governor chris sununu, thank you, appreciate it. and democratic nominee and senator dan feltes, thank you very much as well. thank you. >> and also my partner john rogers, and many and a half recommends who worked on this, ellen grimm, dan barrick, michael brynlee. this is the exchange on public radio. >> i had a choice to make, do i let my people run it really well or badly. if i run it badly they'll probably blame him, blame me, but more importantly i want to help people. >> he in fa kt already cost $10 million people their health care that they had from their employers because of his recession. >> with less than two weeks before the 2020 election, watch the second presidential debate between president donald trump

and former vice-president joe biden tonight from belmont university in nashville, tennessee. live coverage begins at 8 p.m. eastern, listen live on the radio app and go to c-span.org, for live or on demand streaming for debate coverage. >> the competition is on. be a part of this year's c-span student cam video competition. middle and high school students, be start of a national conversation by making a five to six minute documentary, exploring the issues that you want the president and congress to address in 2021. be bold with your documentary. show supporting and opposing points of view and include c-span video. be a winner, there's $100,000 in total cash prizes including a grand prize of $5,000. the deadline to submit videos is january 20th, 2021. be informed, you'll find competition rules, tips and information how to get started

at our website, student cam.org. ♪ >> next a discussion on the upcoming election and what to expect for the presidential, senate and house races hosted by the american enterprise institute, this is an hour 20 minutes. minutes. >> good morning, everyone. i'm a senior fellow at the american enterprise institute. i'd like to welcome you all to our final pre-election panel. we'll look at what we have thus far. i'm joined by my colleagues, and john, and henry olson of the ethics and policy center. we have a lot of ground to cover i'll start b