While attending a voting day in Concord, Gilmington Republican Rep. David Nigel learned he is being replaced on the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee. Nigel told NH Bulletin it felt as though other Republican leaders were trying to intimidate him, even referencing “The Godfather” with how Rep. Jim Kofalt pulled him aside.
According to NH Bulletin, Nigel said he has always considered himself a moderate, occasionally voting with his Democrat peers. His background as a doctor has provided him with different viewpoints compared to other typical Republicans. I think this makes him more knowledgeable than his peers as he knows the scientific reasons behind different medical opinions.
Nigel told NH Bulletin about how he has been asked many times if he would switch to the Democratic party, to which he responded, “If it was purely about health care policy, sure. I think Democrats do a much better job on issues like that, but I think on other issues Republicans do better.” While a lot of his views on policies align with the other members of his party, he disagreed with the republican standpoint on HB524 and other health-related bills.
HB524 seeks to eliminate the New Hampshire Vaccine Association, which is honestly ridiculous. As a doctor, Nigel said he would never support the bill and believed that disagreement was the final straw that got him removed. I cannot believe that the committee would remove someone because they were not voting how they wanted him to. The whole point of nominating house members is to provide diversity amongst the members, and they can represent their town or city. Nigel is a part of the Republican party because his beliefs align more with them. If he has publicly stated multiple times that he is not a Democrat, then he isn’t, it’s as simple as that.
In a two-party system, it is often hard to be heard as an Independent. It is likely that voters will choose the party that most aligns with their views. Unless we were to abandon the two-party system, the other parties are not going to be heard or seen as much as the Democrats and the Republicans. Nigel referenced moderates becoming Independent as an example as to why he is a Republican in his NH Bulletin interview.
The problem with Kofalt replacing a member of the committee who has a medical background is that we are leaving the health and safety of N.H. residents in the hands of the uneducated. It is very clear to me that a lot of N.H. Republicans simply disregard science when it comes to health policies, such as vaccines. Vaccines are vital to protect ourselves from viruses, infections and diseases. Nigel was one of the few Republicans to understand this point of view.
My question is, are we willing to sacrifice the overall public health to put more money in billionaires’ pockets? Our government is consistently showing that if you disagree, they’ll just get rid of you. Why is it that we are disregarding the First Amendment as if free speech doesn’t count if your opinion is different? I believe Nigel was wrongfully replaced on the committee and that it is important we have Republicans like him who are not afraid to disagree with their party.
Madelyn Marabella can be contacted at
mmarabella@kscequinox.com
