Vice President Kamala Harris announced in a New Hampshire campaign stop her plan to enhance tax incentives for small businesses. She aims to increase these incentives from $5,000 to $50,000 for startup costs, with the ultimate goal of encouraging 25 million new small business applications over four years. Harris revealed her proposal while visiting the Portsmouth area, located near Maine’s Piscataqua River. This move signifies a shift from her previous emphasis on raising taxes for wealthy individuals and large corporations.
Although New Hampshire has traditionally voted blue in recent presidential elections, the strategic trip could also have implications in Maine where electoral votes are split, enabling candidates to secure some votes without winning the entire state. It represents a departure from Harris primarily focusing on battleground states in the Midwest and Sun Belt regions crucial for the upcoming election.
Since President Joe Biden chose not to seek reelection and endorsed Harris, she has concentrated on pivotal “blue wall” states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. She has also visited Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina, states narrowly won by Biden in 2020. This recent visit follows Labor Day rallies in Detroit and Pittsburgh, showcasing Harris’s commitment to key states ahead of the election.
Harris’s plan for small businesses incorporates various elements that are well-received in the business community. However, it contrasts with a previous proposal targeting inflation by addressing “price gouging” from food producers allegedly causing unnecessary spikes in grocery prices. Throughout her campaign, Harris has underscored the importance of bolstering the middle class and advocated for affluent individuals and large corporations to contribute their fair share through higher taxes.
While New Hampshire was won by Biden by a 7% margin in 2020, Trump came close to winning the state against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Despite this, Harris’s campaign highlights its 17 field offices collaborating with the state Democratic party in New Hampshire, in comparison to Trump’s single office. There was some discontent among New Hampshire Democrats when Biden shifted the DNC’s focus to South Carolina for the first primary this year, displacing Iowa’s caucus and New Hampshire’s long-standing first-in-the-nation primary.
Although Biden did not actively campaign in New Hampshire’s unsanctioned primary, he won effortlessly through a write-in campaign. Trump has seized upon this incident to criticize Harris’s campaign struggles in the state due to the primary reshuffling. He cited New Hampshire’s high cost of living, exorbitant energy bills, and unaffordable housing market as challenges that Harris’s campaign must address, while emphasizing his commitment to protecting New Hampshire’s primary status.
