#NHPolitics Ins and Outs — September 29, 2024 

Another week of #NHPolitics Ins and Outs, taking you on a tour 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?

Joyce Craig Keeps Her Foot on The Gas — Democratic candidate for governor Joyce Craig kept up the pressure this week with an impressive performance in the first governor’s debate of the general election, frequently outshining her opponent, former Senator Kelly Ayotte, whose performance was significantly weaker than many top Democrats predicted.

She followed the debate with powerful remarks from education and community leaders on her opponent’s decision to feature a Moms for Liberty activist prominently in a television ad campaign, the same group that put bounties on the heads of New Hampshire teachers.

She also spoke to the Granite Post on tax policy. Check out our socials for that conversation.

NH Dems Announce Tier 1 Speaker — This week the New Hampshire Democratic Party announced Kentucky governor Andy Beshear would be the keynote speaker at this year’s annual Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner, casting a spotlight on the highly competitive governors race this year. Check out WMUR for more.

Dems Provide Update on PFAS — Some top NH House and Senate Democrats held a press conference in Merrimack this week discussing the importance of PFAS legislation in the upcoming term and their willingness to work with Republicans to make progress.

This after the closure of the St. Gobain factory closure in 2023, a French plastics manufacturer that whose long history contaminating local water supplies has focused attention on the area. Manchester Ink Link has the full story.

Firefighters Back Goodlander — The Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire this week endorsed Democrat Maggie Goodlander in her campaign for the 2nd Congressional district over opponent, former Libertarian Party Chair of Colorado, Lily Tang Williams.

In accepting the endorsement, Goodlander focused on the high rate of cancer among firefighters and pledged to work to drive more resources to the first responders. WMUR has footage from the event.

Who’s Out!

Kelly Ayotte Forced to Stay On Defense — Republican gubernatorial candidate spent much of the week on defense as public attention continued to focus on her decision to put a prominent Mom’s for Liberty member in a recent campaign ad.

She also found herself under renewed scrutiny for her time at private equity firm Blackstone, with recent reporting around child labor abuses during her tenure.

A CNN report on the New Hampshire governor’s race also put the focus back on her 2016 senate loss and her record on abortion. “I’m a little nervous about Ayotte on abortion,” said one New Hampshire voter in the piece. “I don’t trust her.”

Republicans Keep Bullying Children At School — Republican activists this week continued to wage their war on trans kids playing school sports, with none other than Kelly Ayotte endorser Jeremy Kauffman making an appearance at one of the games to bully school children playing soccer.

Libertarian Gov Candidate’s Embarrassing Performance — You might be surprised to learn there is a libertarian candidate for governor in New Hampshire this year, Stephen Villee, running alongside Democrat Joyce Craig and Republican Kelly Ayotte.

Even more surprising, Villee was invited to participate in the first governor’s debate this past week in Nashua, where he delivered a truly embarrassing performance with a closing statement that served to underscore both how deeply unpopular conservative-libertarian policy goals are, while also being profoundly incoherent. Check out our video on how he closed out the debate for our full analysis.