Chris Sununu, the Republican from New Hampshire who served four two-year terms as the state's governor, is coming to Kansas City on Monday for an American Public Square event.
Democrats have tended to win New Hampshire's presidential votes while Republicans have, in recent years, controlled the state legislature and governorship. This dynamic often means that lawmakers strive to appeal to both parties.
"When (people from New Hampshire) go vote, we jump all over the ticket — people, even though they're Republicans, they may vote for a Democrat here or there or vice versa," Sununu said.
He said about 40% of New Hampshire's electorate hasn't declared a party.
"They can jump around all over the place, and they do," he said. "They come out in high numbers, they vote independently and candidate quality matters."
During his time in office, Sununu worked with Democrats to address issues including mental health and the opioid crisis. He also believes in limiting campaign finance spending — an issue that 72 percent of Americans agree on.
"Campaign finance reform is massively needed, right? Because you have, for example, the upcoming Senate race in little old New Hampshire, 1.4 million people, will be well north of a $150 million race. That's an insane amount of money to swing the last five to 10% of voters," Sununu told KCUR. "I'm a huge believer that the more the more money that it takes to run these races, the more disconnected the candidates tend to get, especially the incumbents tend to get, from their own districts."
Evening at the Square, 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111. Tickets are still available.
