The politics of standing alone What it’s like to be a Democrat who isn’t afraid to cross party lines.
Sometimes, when you vote based on what you think is genuinely right for your constituents, you end up standing in a place where neither party quite knows what to do with you.
New on my Substack: granitestategovernance.substack.com/p/the-politi... #NHpolitics
Deputy Speaker Smith: "Are you going to read that whole page?"
Rep. Ulery: "I have six."
DSS: "You have six? I have this." [pulls out a lighter]
Chamber: [laughter]
Everyone when 7pm rolls around: 🫠
Picture of the House Record for the sessions dated 3/11 and 3/12
The House calendar is so thick they had to use one of these fancy staples 😂 Gearing up for two marathon days at the State House. #NHpolitics
NH House Resolution 42, honoring the life and legacy of assassinated Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, passes 308-11. #NHPolitics
In a busy day at the State House, the New Hampshire Senate and House of Representatives voted on a handful of critical child care bills Thursday, including funding for the child care workforce grant program and tax credits. From Maya Mitchell #NHPolitics
I am SO glad these remarks will be in the permanent journal 😂
FYI, HB1167 was about “enabling the use of ferrets for hunting” #NHpolitics
Let me be clear: vaccines work. They are one of our best tools to prevent serious illness & protect vulnerable people.
But HB 1811 was never about vaccine science, & calling anyone who supported it “anti-vax” does more harm than good ⬇️
nhjournal.com/mandelbaum-v...
#NHpolitics
Politics cannot be a contact sport
We cannot allow politics to be a contact sport. If it is, everyone walks away bruised, and the people we serve are the ones who pay the price.
New on my Substack:
open.substack.com/pub/granites... #NHpolitics
UPDATE: 👍👍 TWO positive outcomes coming out of the State House today! Thanks to the Granite State advocates who contacted their lawmakers about these bills.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected a proposal Thursday to end all vaccine mandates in the state. Thirty-four Republicans joined Democrats to oppose the bill. From @willskipworth.bsky.social #NHPolitics
A huge win for sure. But I’d be cautious about calling this bill “anti-vax” — more people are hesitant about vaccines (having questions is okay!) than they are anti. This bill was more about individual choice vs. public good. It’s public health ethics in real time!
HB 1811 would have repealed statutory immunization requirements for children, potentially increasing the prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases including mumps, poliomyelitis, & rubella. Overturning the committee’s OTP recommendation is a victory for Granite Staters’ health. #NHpolitics
Graphic with a fridge front as the background. Colorful letter-shaped magnets spell out "some bills we" and then a heart and a note that says "on the NH House Floor this week." There are four notes taped on the fridge. One reads: HB 1600: Makes registering to vote a little easier by streamlining infro between the DMV and local town clerks." The second is: HB 1705: Gives small towns the ability to offer the state Employee Assistance Program to our local first responders." Another reads: HB1492: Saves people money by protecting drivers from mystery tow fees that they can't afford during an emergency." The last one reads: "HB1718: Changes net metering rules so batteries charged by solar can send power to the grid (and lower energy costs!)." In the lower right hand corner there is a calendar for February 2026 that has all the days up to the 19th crossed off. The 19th is circled in red.
Here's our weekly highlight of a few of the bills we 💙 coming to the NH House floor tomorrow that will lower costs, help first responders, and make registering to vote a little easier for Granite Staters. #NHPolitics
"No vaccines, no safety net: New Hampshire’s child care centers are not ready for a measles outbreak." Commentary from Trina Ingelfinger of @newfuturesnh.bsky.social #NHPolitics
The loud debates are easy to follow. But if you want to understand how government really works, this is where the action happens. A primer on the consent calendar now up on my Substack.
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/granites... #NHpolitics
We use a lot of road salt here
Image of a press release with the NH House Democrats logo at the top, which has a blue outline of the state and a sketch of the dome on the NH state capitol. Graphic contains the text for the press release titled: "Eliminating Hepatitis B Vaccine requirements will hurt the health of Granite Staters" and contains a statement by Representative Bill Palmer.
Press Release: Eliminating Hepatitis B Vaccine Requirements Will Hurt the Health of Granite Staters #NHPolitics
Data is my love language 💕
Someone holding a sign at the NH State House that reads, “Got polio?”
The State House this morning. Vaccines save lives. #NHpolitics
NH State House in the early morning of February 5, 2026
Big day at the State House, where Governor Kelly Ayotte is giving her State of the State address, and the House is taking up bills including:
-The Housing Champions program
-Independent redistricting
-Local control over zoning
-Firearms
More updates to follow. #NHpolitics
New Hampshire is first in the nation always. #NHPolitics
Governor Kelly Ayotte giving her State of the State address
Governor Kelly Ayotte is giving her State of the State address. You can watch it live here: www.youtube.com/live/upZKZkJ...
#NHPolitics
This is what antisemitism looks like now A committee hearing revealed how moral language can be distorted to excuse violence against Jews.
I’m clerk of House State-Fed Relations & Veterans Affairs Committee. Testimony yesterday left me shaken.
What alarmed me wasn’t HR 37’s text, but efforts to weaponize human-rights language to excuse or deny violence against Jews. #NHPolitics
🔗 granitestategovernance.substack.com/p/this-is-wh...
This is an outrageous comparison that minimizes the Holocaust. How dare he appropriate Jewish trauma for political effect. #NHPolitics
What public health taught me about policy-making The work of policy isn’t just about responding to today’s challenges; it’s about building systems that can meet tomorrow’s. REP. JENNIFER MANDELBAUM JAN 22, 2026 Before I ever held elected office, I worked in public health (still do). I was trained to look at population-level data, ask hard questions about systems, and focus on prevention and equality.
What public health taught me about policy-making
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/granites... #NHPolitics
This Is Public Health, Not a Political Stunt People need health care, not whatever this is. REP. JENNIFER MANDELBAUM JAN 17, 2026 I’m not coming at this issue as a Democrat or a Republican; I’m coming at this as a New Hampshire state representative and a public health professional who is exhausted by watching rural health care get dragged into childish political food fights.
Rural health care deserves serious conversation, not social media snark.
More thoughts here: open.substack.com/pub/granites...
#NHPolitics
Four New Hampshire hospitals are among the more than 700 across the United States at risk of closing due to financial struggles, according to a recent report. But state health care leaders suggest things are not so dire. From @willskipworth.bsky.social #NHPolitics
Hear ye, hearings! Committee hearings enable public input, informed debate, and careful shaping of legislation. Here are the bill hearings for the week of January 12, 2026: 🔗 https://open.substack.com/pub/granitestategovernance/p/hear-ye-hearings-week-of-january?r=486csr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Hear ye, hearings!
Committee hearings enable public input, informed debate, and careful shaping of legislation. Here are the bill hearings for the week of January 12, 2026:
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/granites...
#NHPolitics
Unpopular Opinion: January 7-8, 2026
Inside the Decision-Making You Don’t See
I don’t always get it perfect, but I can show the evidence and thought process behind every vote. Here are three votes I cast that might have surprised you:
granitestategovernance.substack.com/p/unpopular-... #NHPolitics
