Another week of #NHPolitics Ins and Outs, taking you on a tour of the ins and outs of the ever-changing world of New Hampshire Politics, keeping score of the winners and losers week-by-week — and letting you know who’s in and who’s out.

Let’s get into it.

Who’s In?

NH Dems Stay Large and In Charge — There was a lot to unpack from the wildly successful Democratic National Convention this past week, but one of the most eye-catching stories was the guests the New Hampshire Democratic delegation attracted for their morning breakfasts.

As reported by both us and Politico, NH Dems played host to AAA tier star political guests, from Pete Buttigieg to Josh Shaprio to J.B. Pritzker to Ro Khanna, some of the top tier of Democratic talent from across the nation took the time to deliver private remarks to New Hampshire delegates this week.

Delegates even proudly proclaimed on the convention floor during the roll call vote that the state was the home of the first-in-the-nation primary after the DNC tried (and failed) to strip the state of that designation.

Republicans with a Spine — Republican candidate Chuck Morse went in on Kelly Ayotte this week for her complicity in allowing widespread physical and sexual abuse against minors at the Sununu Youth Development Center during her time as New Hampshire Attorney General.

“As New Hampshire’s chief law enforcement officer, Kelly Ayotte was negligent to the complaints being filed on the abuses happening at the Youth Detention Center under her watch. She was either complicit or incompetent; either way, she hurt countless lives and will cost the state millions of dollars, all because she failed to take action.” Said Morse in a statement.

Our previous reporting has shown Ayotte’s office would have been aware of abuse occurring in the facility during her time as AG, but did not pursue an investigation.

NH02 Candidates Score Big Endorsements — This week Maggie Goodlander released a string of high-profile endorsements from veterans serving in congress. Representatives Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), both Marine Corps veterans, along with Representative Jason Crow (D-CO), an Army veteran, have announced their support for Goodlander’s campaign, citing her dedication to public service and her commitment to veterans and democracy. Check out our exclusive write-up here.

Meanswhile Colin Van Ostern this week announced a majority of NH Democratic state lawmakers endorsed his campaign and announced his campaign co-chairs: State Senators Sue Prentiss and Donovan Fenton and State Rep. Alicia Gregg.

Who’s Out!

Magic Money — Questions were raised this week after multiple Republican campaigns announced their fundraising hauls and the figures campaigns were reporting did not line up with the actual dollars donated.

NHPolitics resident finance geek Jeff Taylor posted about the discrepancies on social media, hitting Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte for inflating her reporting by $63K and the Committee to Elect House Republicans inflating their tally by $70K. 

Now it could be that they received money or commitments to money after they reported, but even still, saying one figure and reporting another is a bad look.

Racist Mailers — Republican candidate for Governor Kelly Ayotte is under fire this week for sending out a mailer attacking primary opponent Chuck Morse with flatly racist stereotypes of Latino men.

“How dare you @KellyAyotte,use racist stereotypes to attack immigrants & promote your hateful xenophobia? Immigration is an opportunity for growth and celebration” wrote Sebastian Fuentes in a post on social media. 

Republican State Reps in Legal Trouble — Two Republican state reps were seen in legal trouble this week, with Republican former Rep. Troy Merner pleading guilty to two misdemeanors for wrongfully voting nine months after being arrested.

Then Republican Rep. Robert J. Champion settled a defamation lawsuit against two NH drag queens for $100K each after accusing the pair of “rubbing butts” with children and of being convicted sex offenders. Champion was also forced to issue a public apology to the drag queens. 

Only in NH!