Robbie Mahrou

Robbie Mahrou earned a high school diploma from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. He earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 1999. His career experience includes working as a consultant.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Robbie Mahrou, an independent candidate for Congress in New Hampshire’s 2nd District. I’m not a career politician, and I’m not interested in becoming one.

I’m not running to go to Washington and become part of the system. I’m running to make sure Washington remembers who it works for.

Over the years, I’ve worked with small businesses, farmers and local organizations and have seen firsthand how decisions made in Washington can make life harder for the people actually doing the work. Housing is becoming unaffordable. Groceries and energy costs keep climbing. Rural healthcare and infrastructure are under pressure. Small farms and businesses are fighting through layers of bureaucracy that too often favor the biggest players.

I’m running because I believe “Live Free or Die” should be more than a slogan. It should be a standard for how government operates.

I believe New Hampshire should have more control over its own communities, its own food systems, its own economy and its own future. Washington should work for the states and the people, not the other way around.

I’m not running to be the loudest person in Congress.

I’m running to make sure the oath to uphold the constitution is kept, to tell people the truth no matter how it hits, and to bring a little common sense back to the process. livefreenh02.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I'm running as a true independent because both parties have patched NH-02's problems for 30 years, and patches don't hold up. To say it clearly, they have failed and we are paying that price.

Property taxes are up 59 percent since 2009. Energy costs are among the highest in the country. Food and lumber leave this state raw and come back finished at a markup we all pay. I owe nothing to party leadership, so I can vote for what actually works for western

New Hampshire instead of what the party platforms demand.

My job in Congress is to bring people together around solutions. That's the difference between policy and politics, and it's the whole reason I'm running.New Hampshire produces only about 3 percent of the food it consumes, despite having nearly 4,000 working farms. We import 97 percent of what we eat, an insult to our farmers and this state's natural resources. The missing piece is processing capacity, the mills and plants that turn what farmers grow into food that reaches market at a price that works.

Washington has neglected our farmers for decades. Food is a national security issue, and it's time New Hampshire treats it like one. My plan uses federal dollars already flowing through this state, no new appropriations, to build a regional food ecosystem anchored in the Upper Valley. That means 60 to 220 direct jobs and a district harder to knock off balance when supply chains break.Defending the Constitution means defending it from foreign and domestic threats alike, and right now the biggest threat comes from inside Washington.

For decades the executive branch has pulled power away from Congress, and the checks and balances the founders built have been treated like a speed bump instead of the law. War powers belong to Congress, not a single signature. Tariffs that raise prices at the register should go through the people's representatives, not a unilateral order.

I'll fight to return that authority to Congress, enforce the War Powers Resolution, repeal the 2001 AUMF, and defend free speech, the Second Amendment, and states' rights from a government that treats the Constitution as optional when it's inconvenient.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

It's hard to pick just one issue, because they're all connected. When we look at the sum of the parts, the trajectory we are on is unsustainable. Washington no longer considers anything but Washington unless it's an election cycle, and because of this, representatives no longer represent their communities and districts, they represent their parties and donors.

This has led to substantial neglect that touches nearly every aspect of our lives, from infrastructure and rural healthcare to energy, housing, food and the small businesses and farms that keep our communities going. We need accountability to our constituents, not horse trading within parties that has left NH-02 stagnant at best.