This practical, problem-solving brand of leadership is not new for Sen. Hassan. Earlier this winter, she pushed the Biden administration to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help curb rising gas prices. When heating oil bills spiked for Granite Staters, Sen. Hassan secured heating assistance that helped bring down rising energy costs. Sen. Hassan has demonstrated time and again that she is willing to take on Big Oil, Republicans, and even the Biden administration in order to lower costs for Granite Staters. Her latest proposal follows in the same mold.

This is exactly the kind of plan that should unite people from across the political divide. In the “Live Free or Die State” there is bipartisan support for low taxes. Suspending the gas tax has been supported by governors from both parties, including Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) and Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.). The plan is also widely popular with all voters. According to a Morning Consult poll, 68% of voters support a gas tax holiday — including 65% of Republicans. Even in these polarized political times, lowering the cost of gas should be a policy candidates from both parties rally behind.

That’s why it’s mind-boggling that, instead, every single GOP Senate candidate in New Hampshire has come out against Hassan’s proposal. As soon as it was announced, Chuck Morse, Kevin Smith and Don Bolduc opposed it in lockstep. Their opposition is nothing more than pure political partisanship. Republican governors across the country have had no problem supporting the idea — and a strong majority of Republican voters favor it. But the New Hampshire GOP candidates were desperate to score partisan political points pre-primary. They attacked a common sense solution that is popular with voters simply because Sen. Hassan proposed it.

This is partisan, negative, zero-sum politics at its worst — and it’s being spearheaded from Washington by Mitch McConnell, who has very publicly voiced his opposition to pausing the gas tax. In New Hampshire, we have a long history of electing leaders who are willing to work across party lines. Above being a Democrat or a Republican, Granite Staters want leaders who will solve problems and deliver results. Morse, Smith, and Bolduc, however, all showed that they care more about partisanship than they do about lowering costs for New Hampshire families.

What is most telling is that Morse, Smith, and Bolduc provided no rationale for why lowering the gas tax was a bad idea. They did not share why they believed Granite Staters would be worse off with more money in their pockets. All they offered was their opposition backed by partisan talking points. Just this week, Kevin Smith put out a collection of talking points that was barely five sentences long, which amounted to little more than a massive giveaway to Big Oil.

For Smith, Morse and Bolduc, subsidies and tax breaks for big oil companies are fine, but apparently suspending the gas tax for New Hampshire families would be a bridge too far. While Sen. Hassan is pushing to immediately bring down the cost of gas, her opponents are content to sit in the cheap seats and hurl partisan attacks without providing a solution that can help Granite Staters right now.

Granite Staters deserve better than what the GOP candidates are offering. Doing the bidding of Mitch McConnell and corporate special interests will not bring down prices at the pump. Sen. Hassan, however, has shown she can take on Mitch McConnell and big oil companies in order to lower costs for Granite Staters. She works across party lines and stands up to her own party when that’s what it takes to help New Hampshire families.

Partisan hacks criticize and corporate stooges follow their marching orders, but real leaders take action and deliver results. By fighting to lower gas prices, Sen. Hassan has shown she is exactly that kind of leader the Granite State needs.