Former Democrat, NH State Senator Launches Podcast, Website

PORTSMOUTH, NH — A former state Senator has launched a new website hoping to bring a different take on information and political topics to busy Granite Staters.

Granite State Matters, a blog site that features a podcast, was launched earlier this month by Jeanne Dietsch of Peterborough, a tech entrepreneur and the former state Senator who represented District 9 (Bedford and other communities) as a Democrat in 2018 when they swept into the Statehouse only to be swept back out in 2020 when Republicans took over again.

The site, which is a nonprofit, was started by Dietsch because there was not enough time for people to digest information, due to their busy lives, especially, on the state level, she said. Even in her own life, there was not a lot of spare time, she said, as a parent with a full-time job. At the same time, Dietsch said, “state news is what impacts us most: our schools, our home values, our health, and our kids’ futures.”

Along with posts by Dietsch, the site features a podcast with Teri Harkins of New Boston, an activist, and former Portsmouth mayor and 2016 and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Steve Marchand.

The show hopes to address major issues in Concord while conducting interviews with newsmakers, too.

“New Hampshire is a pragmatic state, and yet fringe politicians are getting their radical agenda enacted into law,” Marchand said. “Granite State Matters hopes to help busy people stay informed on how these changes impact them.”

The first two episodes address school vouchers and redistricting. The programs are featured in long-form formats, about 30 minutes, and shorter clips, about 5 minutes.

Both hosts opposed Education Freedom Accounts, the voucher program in New Hampshire. They interviewed Jack Schneider, the co-author of the book, “A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School” for that segment. The hosts also opposed the gerrymandered redistricting plans forwarded by Republicans in control of the House and Senate and interviewed Olivia Zink, the executive director of Open Democracy. Guests offering opposing views were not interviewed during the programs.

Dietsch, who was elected as a Democrat, now touts herself as an independent. She said she used the Democrat label to challenge former state Sen. Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford), “who I could never best in a primary.” She also noted that she was a pragmatist.

“I agree that over-regulation interferes with the public's best interests, but I disagree with those on the extreme right who feel that citizens have no social responsibilities to their communities,” she said. “Both economic and historical research demonstrates that communities built on trust and mutual regard fare better in the long run than those relying on short-sighted self-interest. Yet I disagree with those on the extreme left who promote victimhood and who place ideological purity over common sense.”

Dietsch said she hoped Granite State Matters would “open people’s eyes to what is really going on in New Hampshire” which requires “following the money.” She added, “Powerful individuals and groups are creating confusion and high emotion so that we won't see what they're up to.”

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the New Hampshire Patch Politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.