October 24, 2009
Today Kelly Ayotte announced her candidacy for the United States Senate during a speech at Bicentennial Elementary School. Accompanying her on stage were her Husband Joe, two year old son Jake and, five year old daughter Kate, along with her mother and stepfather.
Prior to taking the stage, Kelly’s sixth grade teacher Bob Lind, Berlin Chief of Police Peter Morency, State Senator Bob Odell, and Executive Councilor Ray Wieczorek all shared personal stories about their interactions with Kelly. The master of ceremonies was Ayotte’s campaign chairman former Governor Steve Merrill.
Ayotte delivered her speech in front of 275-300 cheering supporters at the school she attended as a child.
Below is the draft of Ayotte’s remarks as they were prepared for delivery:
Thank you Governor Merrill for your introduction. Thank you for your service to our state, and thank you for serving as the Chairman of our campaign. Great to be here with so many members of my family, friends, legislators and supporters. Thank all of you for coming today.
It’s great to be back here at Bicentennial. It brings back so many fond memories of my days here. As Mr. Lind mentioned I played Dorothy in the Wizzard of Oz in this room. It’s got me thinking don’t you think Washington needs more brains, more heart, and more courage.
Most of you have come to know me as the Attorney General of our State. You are familiar with my record of fighting crime and making our state safe. I am proud that while I served as Attorney General, NH has been ranked the safest state in the nation the past two years. But today I want to share with you a different part of my life.
For all the experiences we have had as a family while I have served as Attorney General, my husband Joe and I and our children are just an ordinary middle class family. Joe and I were both born here in Nashua. I went to school right here at Bicentennial Elementary school. Joe and I both went to high school down the street. We live within 5 miles of our parents, aunts, uncles, and even my 93 year old Grandfather, John Sullivan who is here and my Memere, Irene Boynton, who is 92 years old. Without the strong support and help of my great family, this campaign would not be possible. New Hampshire is home and our commitment to our state couldn’t be greater.
Not only is our family deeply committed to our state, we are deeply committed to public service. My grandfather is a veteran of World War II. My husband Joe is an Air Force veteran and still serves as a Lt. Colonel in the National Guard. Joe flew combat missions in Bosnia and after 9/11, Joe served in the Iraq war flying missions in the A-10 Warthog. I served for 11 years at the Attorney General’s Office working hard to enforce our laws.
Because of the difficult challenges our nation faces, I believe I can better serve our state in a new position. That is why today I am announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate.
Some have asked me why I am taking on this challenge. The reason is right here on the stage -- Kate and Jake.
We have always made a promise that we will leave our country a better place for the next generation. That we would give our children the same opportunities we have had. Today, I do not believe we are living up to that promise. We are heading in the wrong direction and mortgaging our children’s future.
Today it seems like some in Washington think that for every challenge we face, there is a big, new government solution. They don’t understand that the strength of America doesn’t come from our government. America’s greatness comes from our people, our families, our belief in personal responsibility, and it comes from our small businesses.
Government doesn’t create jobs, small businesses create jobs. I have first-hand experience with that. When Joe came back from the war, he started a landscaping and snowplowing business. There were many nights he needed help. I would go out with him and shovel snow through the night until five in the morning. I felt bad leaving him in the morning, but I could go home to go to my day job at the Attorney General’s Office. I know how hard it is to make a small business work.
Today, Joe employs 20 people. It’s Joe and the hundreds of thousands of small business men and women around this country that will bring this economy back, not the Government. We need to do everything we can to keep their taxes low and regulations less burdensome so that they can create the jobs our country needs.
Washington is broken. Partisan bickering is blocking progress on so many important issues. We need to stop the finger pointing and demand results from our leaders. As Ronald Reagan said “There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.”
That is the type of leadership I have provided as your Attorney General -- roll up your sleeves, and get things done. When we needed stronger laws to protect our children from Internet and sexual predators, I went to legislature and worked with them to pass tough new penalties to keep our children safe.
When my job was on the line, I took a case to the United States Supreme Court and argued it myself. It could have cost me my job, but I believed that defending the law was the right thing to do.
Finally, when we witnessed the tragic murder of a police officer on the streets of Manchester, I personally tried the case and got the toughest penalties available under our law. I didn’t do this because it was easy; I did it because it was the right thing to do to keep us safe.
We need more leaders in Washington who are willing to make the difficult decisions. That is the leadership I provided as Attorney General, and that is the leadership I will provide in the United States Senate.
If you want to see a failure of leadership look at the federal budget.
Professional politicians have put us on a path of economic destruction.
They are spending money we do not have and burdening our children with a debt they cannot afford.
The current national debt is 11.9 trillion dollars
The budget that Paul Hodes voted for is on track to double our national debt in 5 years and triple it in 10 years.
Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Paul Hodes are spending our money by the trillions.
It hard to get your hands around what a trillion dollars is.
I am sure we have a few sports fans here today. So let me put it in perspective.
With one trillion dollars, you could buy every seat for every Patriots home game for the next 24,000 years and have enough money left over to buy a hotdog and a soda for every single person during every game. And that’s just one trillion dollars. That’s a lot of pats games. Imagine if you could keep that money in your pocket and spend it as you see fit.
Washington bailed out the banks, bailed out the auto industry, and when that wasn’t enough, they spent nearly a trillion dollars on what they called stimulus. Although it was sold as a short term boost to our economy, some of the money won’t actually be spent until 2019. And some of that was spent was pork, including money to buy golf carts and nearly a million dollars to build an airport that only 20 people use a day.
The stimulus plan did not provide relief for our small businesses.
Paul Hodes promised the stimulus would create millions of new jobs, but since he voted for it, our country has lost 3.3 million jobs and unemployment has gone from 8.1% to 9.8%. The stimulus plan did not provide relief for our small businesses.
I say enough is enough. Washington needs a good dose of New Hampshire common sense….You can’t spend money you don’t have. Like most New Hampshire families, Joe and I, sit around our kitchen table and we have to prioritize and live within our budget. Our government should be no different. Our elected leaders must be willing to make the hard decisions.
If you think I was tough on criminals as Attorney General, just wait until you see how tough I will be on wasteful spending in Washington.
This will not be easy. We need to balance the budget and I think we need a constitutional amendment to do it. We should end the spending on the stimulus bill and stop the bailouts. We need to begin to sunset government programs that have far outlived their utility.
We must make our government work for us, not us working for our government.
We are at a pivotal time in our country’s history. New Hampshire’s next Senator will have a large voice as to what direction we take as a nation and Paul Hodes’ and my philosophies couldn’t be more different.
He believes the government is the answer to all of our problems. I believe the strength of America comes from its people.
He believes the Government can decide what you need for health care. I believe you and your doctor know what’s best.
He has voted to triple the deficit in his four years in office. I believe we need a balanced budget.
He refuses to hold open meetings for his constituents. I will hold open town halls in every county, every year. And unlike Paul Hodes, I will read the bills before I vote on them
On issue after issue, the differences couldn’t be more clear.
We have a long campaign ahead of us and I can’t do this alone. I need all of your help. Together we can bring fiscal sanity and common sense to the Senate. Let’s tell Washington we need some fresh new ideas, and fresh new faces.
I will end with a story from the campaign trail. I was at the Lancaster fair and a farmer came up to me and gave me a bottle of water, New Hampshire water. He told me to take it with me to Washington. He said he didn’t want me drinking any of that Washington water. He said everyone who drinks it seems to lose their common sense and forget where they came from.
I can promise you this. When I’m elected United States Senator. I will never lose my common sense or forget where I came from. I will never forget the lessons I learned right here at this school, and I will never forget those who elected me. Together, we can make a difference in Washington and we will protect the future of our children and all generations throughout this great state.
Thank you.
