Senator Hassan Sits Down with Plymouth State University’s Student Newspaper to Discuss What Is at Stake in this Election

In case you missed it, Senator Maggie Hassan visited Plymouth State University last weekend, where she sat down to discuss what is at stake in this election with Plymouth State University’s student newspaper, The Clock. During the interview, Senator Hassan drew a sharp contrast between her record of bipartisanship and delivering results for Granite Staters and Don Bolduc’s out of touch record. Senator Hassan also hosted a roundtable with Plymouth State University students about the importance of engaging more young people in the democratic process.

The Clock: Sitting down with a senator: Panthers welcome Maggie Hassan
By Jacob Downey

[…] First elected in 2016, Hassan jumped from the Governor to the Senate, winning by a narrow margin of just over a thousand votes. During her first term as senator, she has been touted by the independent Lugar Center as the most bipartisan senator of 2021, citing her as holding “… the highest score ever recorded by a Democratic senator and the third highest score in the history of the index”, a title earned by a Republican co-sponsorship on all 48 bills she introduced in 2021. In practice, this means Hassan is no stranger to reaching across the aisle to make change happen despite party lines.

For many of us, this is the first election in which we will have a say…On October 8th during the Homecoming game, Sen. Hassan met with a collection of Plymouth State students to discuss her campaign and issues important to the PSU student body.

[…] Little common ground is shared between Hassan and her Republican opponent Don Bolduc. Hassan would criticize Bolduc for upholding the idea that the 2020 election was fraudulent (it was not), his ‘rejoicing’ in the repealing of Roe V. Wade, and his opposition towards clean energy initiatives. Hassan however sees immense value in reaching across the aisle and that it does not have to mean compromising on fundamental rights, stating “[I] stand firm on the principles that keep our democracy intact. So freedom to vote, and reproductive rights, are examples of that. The need to move to a clean energy economy and fight climate change. But you also listen for common ground”. It was not all partisan doom and gloom, however, with the senator noting that “[Hassan] was also part of the team that negotiated the infrastructure package. And there’s a lot in there for a lot of different people but I think of the things college students might be most interested in high-speed internet access everywhere in the state of New Hampshire”. She added that projects such as this and a conceptual passenger rail from Boston would contribute to New Hampshire becoming a more vibrant state. Infrastructure such as this would definitely benefit college-aged persons greatly and represent a common good we can all get behind.

The biggest takeaway Hassan has for young voters is that “this [election] is about the quality of your drinking water, the quality of the air you breathe, whether you can have your reproductive rights protected and get reproductive health care in your state, on your college campus or near your college campus. It’s about whether you’re safe”. Whether or not you intend to vote for Hassan on November 8th, it is imperative that we as college students participate in the political process.