State Senate candidate: Support for minimum wage increase result of poor communication by GOP
A Republican candidate for the state Senate suggests Republicans are losing the debate over increasing the minimum wage because Republicans are poor communicators. “A lot of it is communication. I think we could do a lot more communication on how it’s going to affect each other,” she said.
In an interview with GraniteGrok, state House Rep. Regina Birdsell (R-Hampshead) contrasted the speeches by Republicans and Democrats during a House debate on minimum wage legislation.
“The chair of the labor [committee] got up and he made it so personal,” she explained. “We have a tendency to throw out numbers. People just don’t equate that. We need, and I plan on bringing it home to people, to let them understand what these laws are doing,” she explained. “I think that’s part of what we need to do is look at some of the bills that have been going on and make them personal to people.”
She’s got an uphill battle. The latest Granite State Poll indicated 76% of New Hampshire residents, including 64% of self-identified Republicans, supported the legislation that would have raised the state minimum wage to $8.25 in 2015 and $9.00 in 2016.
Birdell is a candidate for the District 19 state Senate seat currently held by Sen. Jim Rausch, who is not seeking re-election. The district, which includes Derry, Hampstead and Windham, is one of the most solidly Republican districts in the state.