NH Journal covers
2022 NH State Primary

Given that the public overwhelmingly supports Right to Work, one could reasonably expect that -- everything else being equal -- politicians who support Right to Work ( and thus agree with their constituents on the issue) will be perceived more favorably back home than politicians who oppose Right to Work (and thus disagree with their constituents on the issue).

Covering the 2022 State Primary Elections for the NH Journal, Michael Graham highlighted a few districts where this trend was especially clear: 

"...Rep. Jim Allard (R-Pittsfield), leader of what some in the House call the “Allard Caucus,” was defeated by Cyril Aures and Clayton Wood, two new candidates who stepped up, angry about Allard’s voting record. Allard voted against Right to Work, tanked Education Freedom Accounts in the House Education Committee, and worked against other priorities pushed by House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn).

Another Rep., Brodie Deshaies (R-Wolfeboro), was ousted in a four-for-two primary losing to newcomer Katy Peternel (R-Wolfeboro) and incumbent John MacDonald (R-Wolfeboro). Deshaies and MacDonald ran as a slate, both receiving the endorsement of Sununu, but Deshaies voted against Right to Work legislation while MacDonald supported the measure."

Based on Graham's reporting, Wolfeboro appears to be a particularly striking example of the impact of Right to Work positions on how politicians are perceived.

Here, Deshaies and MacDonald sound very similar to each other -- except for their stances on Right to Work.

Brodie Deshaies and John MacDonald were both running in the exact same district, which had four candidates competing for two seats. Both were Republican incumbents. Both were endorsed by Governor Chris Sununu. Both were even running on a slate together.

There would be every reason to assume that they would either both win together, or both lose together. 

However, that isn't what happened. 

John MacDonald won re-election, while Brodie Deshaies lost to newcomer Katy Peternal.

That is to say, pro-Right to Work incumbent John MacDonald won re-election, while anti-Right to Work incumbent Brodie Deshais lost to pro-Right to Work newcomer Katy Peternal.

Read the full article at NH Journal:

In NHGOP Primaries, Sununu Endorsement Record Earns A ‘Gentleman’s C’