Despite DNC Snub, National Democrats Keep Coming To New Hampshire

By Leonard Robinson, NH Journal

The Democratic National Committee’s decision to strip New Hampshire of its first-in-the-nation presidential primary status has not stopped some of the party’s top names from campaigning in the Granite State.

Ahead of Election Day, the list of scheduled visitors to New Hampshire includes former Vice President Kamala Harris, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be in New Hampshire this weekend, starting Saturday at the Nashua field office, which his political action committee, Campaign for Democracy, has taken credit for sponsoring. WMUR reports that the two-term governor has raised over $500,000 for the state’s Democrats this cycle.

Other stops for Newsom include an afternoon rally in Exeter followed by a stop in Concord and an evening event alongside NH-01 Democratic candidate Stefany Shaheen.

Prospective 2028 presidential candidates started dropping by New Hampshire months ago, including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who came in March.

October alone has seen visits from New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, all of whom arrived to campaign alongside Democrats on the ballot this November.

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear are among the other high-profile Democrats who have visited the state since the DNC’s decision.

Former New Hampshire Republican Party chair Fergus Cullen told NHJournal that prospective candidates are taking advantage of a low-stakes opportunity to test their favorability in a key early primary state.

“Midterm elections or campaigning with the Manchester mayoral candidate next year is a consequence-free way of telling us that you are campaigning for president without campaigning for president,” Cullen said. “Any of the candidates can do that, DNC be damned, for at least the next year.”

Democratic strategist Mally Smith, a senior adviser to Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, agreed but warned that Democrats should not be too eager to get on the DNC’s bad side.

“Many prospective candidates are hedging their bets in case of a situation where the DNC adjusts the early state calendar to please New Hampshire,” Smith told NHJournal. “I would advise them to be careful not to get cross with the party, because I do believe that the DNC will enforce the rules equally.”

Other political operatives, like GOP strategist Mike Dennehy, said Democrats’ willingness to show up in New Hampshire proves New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation status is solidified—regardless of the DNC’s preferences.

“New Hampshire’s FITN is alive and well, and it even looks like potential Democrat candidates may be willing to ignore the new DNC rules. Just before a midterm election is when national political leaders begin building relationships with statewide, regional, and local officials in an effort to build a potential campaign for president.”

The steady stream of Democrats contrasts sharply with the trickle of big-name Republicans into the Granite State. The 2028 front-runner, Vice President JD Vance, has not appeared in New Hampshire despite campaigning next door in Maine twice this year.

A visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio is extremely unlikely given his current position, and if Sen. Ted Cruz or former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are campaigning for president, they aren’t doing it in New Hampshire.

Some in the GOP believe that shows President Donald Trump isn’t ready to give up the spotlight, and no major Republican contenders are willing to cross him.

Greg Moore, AFP-NH’s state director, says that’s going to change.

“It’s no surprise that Republicans considering running for president would be coming to New Hampshire, and I suspect there will be a vigorous primary here in 2027,” Moore told NHJournal. “State law makes the most likely date of our primary on January 11, 2028, while the DNC has mandated that it’s hosted on February 8 or face severe penalties.

“It certainly gives the impression that Granite State Democrat party bosses are ready to abandon the First In The Nation Primary and turn it into a beauty contest, with something run by the party held on the DNC-sanctioned date.”

“That’s why Democrats and journalists should start asking these visitors if they run, will they put their names on the official primary ballot and have the courage to take on the DNC,” Moore added. “That would make a real difference if folks like Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris were willing to stand up for New Hampshire.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.