FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2020
Contact: Ally Livingston, alivingston@jeanneshaheen.org

ICYMI — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned the White House to reject any COVID-19 relief deals prior to the November election, according to the New York Times, echoing calls from Republican U.S. Senate candidate “Colorado Corky” Messner, who has consistently advocated against additional state aid for New Hampshire to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Messner has endorsed McConnell’s previous proposals with $0 in state aid for New Hampshire and $0 for Granite State hospitals and health workers and, now that McConnell says COVID relief will hurt Republicans’ election chances and slow the forced nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Messner may go to even further extremes to harm New Hampshire.

“Colorado Corky Messner is a rubber stamp for Mitch McConnell, standing with him even as he denies Granite Staters additional economic relief from this devastating pandemic. Messner has embraced McConnell’s cruel legislative proposals throughout the pandemic, including those with $0 in state aid for New Hampshire, and he backed McConnell even when he said we should simply let our cities and towns fall into bankruptcy,” said Shaheen campaign spokesman Josh Marcus-Blank. “There is no low too low for Corky and McConnell—they are playing politics with people’s lives, rejecting COVID relief for New Hampshire and blocking much-needed assistance for Granite Staters.”

There’s nothing new about giving McConnell another rubber stamp Republican senator, and Messner’s blind support for McConnell’s dangerous policies undermines Messner’s entire campaign. The previous McConnell scheme Messner pushed would have left local cities and towns behind, hurting public schools, local law enforcement, and potentially letting cities or towns go bankrupt. Messner claimed hospital funding was “not urgent” in April, doubled down on that last month and advocated for barebones proposals that shortchange New Hampshire’s health workers. He actively opposed state COVID relief for New Hampshire and said “we are no longer in crisis mode” after 120,000 COVID deaths in June. Now, more than 220,000 people have died from this pandemic and Messner still opposes relief for New Hampshire.

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