Candidate surveys 2016

Format

The surveys followed NH Rebellion's We the People Agenda, which over a thousand Granite Staters have pledged to support. There were 30 questions in all, several for each agenda item.

In addition, one section asked about support for the We the People Agenda as a whole, an "In your campaign..." section where candidates could point out what steps they would take in their own campaign to show their commitment to money-in-politics issues, and an invitation to join a nonpartisan political reform caucus.

Candidates for New Hampshire House and Senate seats received the legislative questionnaire. Candidates for higher office received slightly different versions with questions tailored to the office being sought.

Results
Above all else, survey results reflect strong bipartisan concern about the influence of big money in politics. Eighty-eight percent of the 101 candidates who responded to the survey, Republicans and Democrats alike, said they endorse a political reform agenda designed to reduce the influence of large campaign donations.

More than two-thirds of Republicans and nearly all Democrats who responded signed on to the reform agenda. Sixty-nine percent received a B+ or higher overall grade on the survey.

When asked whether they would be willing to participate in a nonpartisan political reform caucus, 81 percent responded positively, with over a third of both Republicans and Democrats checking the most enthusiastic "Sign me up" box.

How to read the results
We have sorted the results into four tables. One contains the responses of candidates for higher state and federal offices, including the New Hampshire Senate. Two contain responses of candidates for the N.H. House–one sorted by district and a second sorted by candidate name. The fourth contains the responses of candidates who did not win their primary elections.

Following identifying information for each candidate is an overall letter grade, grades for each of the six items in the We the People Agenda, plus grades for a section related to the agenda as a whole, the "In your campaign..." section, and the final section about the reform caucus.

Scoring
Each of the nine sections of the questionnaire received equal weight, as did each question within a section. In several cases, candidates submitted insufficient information on which to base a grade. Those who did not answer six or more questions received an "Incomplete."