HOPKINTON, N.H. (WCAX) – Thursday was New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster’s last day serving on Capitol Hill. In part two of his special report, Adam Sullivan spoke with the six-term Democrat about President-elect Trump’s reelection, the lesson from January 6, and what advice she is offering her successor.
Congresswoman Annie Kuster says the list of legislative accomplishments during her 12-year tenure was long, including funding for infrastructure projects, mental health, addiction treatment, and the environment. But the Democrat also says her six terms had some dark moments.
“I was terrified. I would have night terrors,” she said, recalling the months following the January 6 attack on the Capitol to stop the certification of the 2020 election. Ultimately, Kuster and her colleagues carried out the vote and, as she puts it, saved democracy. But Kuster says the fallout from that day continued throughout her time in office. “It wasn’t safe here either. I had death threats at home here in New Hampshire. We had to increase our security.”
The insurrection was a hot issue during the 2024 election. Democrats cited it as evidence of Donald Trump’s unfitness for office. Republicans call the January 6 participants “protestors” who were the targets of political persecution.
But when voters hit the polls, Kuster says other issues were more pressing. “People are always going to want more money in their pocket, and some prices were very high,” she said. Kuster says people were looking for a change and that President Biden was not effective in highlighting his accomplishments.
Looking toward a second Trump administration, Kuster is not confident that the president has the economic or other solutions most Americans want. “I don’t think costs will come down and I don’t think people will feel safer — and that was what the election was really about. They wanted to feel safe and they wanted the costs to come down,” she said.
Democrat Maggie Goodlander will fill Kuster’s seat in Congress — a first-time lawmaker in the minority party. Kuster offers her this advice:
“Lean in on unity with your colleagues, but also at the same time reach across the aisle and look for opportunities where to work together,” she said. “It has become more and more difficult in this hyper-partisan environment, and she is going to have to learn how to cut through that.”
Kuster will be spending the next two years consulting with the New Democrat Coalition. She says it’s time for the next generation of lawmakers to take the reins.