Politics & Government

Impeachment Leads To New Hampshire Surrogate Invasion: FITN 2020

Non-Senate first-in-the-nation primary candidates campaign across the state — with one hitting the slopes. Watch: Weld on a divided nation.

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The NHDP has new FITN tees; debate viewership inches up; Tulsi to snowboard; Weld talks division; and Lynch to campaign for Biden.
The NHDP has new FITN tees; debate viewership inches up; Tulsi to snowboard; Weld talks division; and Lynch to campaign for Biden. (Tony Schinella | Patch, NHDP )

CONCORD, NH — With the U.S. Senate taking up articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, four of his potential general election opponents — U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren — are off the campaign trail, tending to their senatorial duties. However, surrogates are picking up the campaign slack in both Iowa and New Hampshire. A number of Klobuchar's supporters, including Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli and former Attorney General Joe Foster, both of Nashua, held a press conference Tuesday to outline what they planned to do for the candidate while she was busy at work — including spreading out across the state, hosting events, through next weekend.

"In addition to office hours," Pignatelli said, "surrogates like myself are kicking off canvasses, hosting hotdish house parties, which are a good chance to gain a couple pounds, and talking to our neighbors about how Amy is uniquely positioned to win big against Donald Trump in the fall."

Klobuchar's daughter, Abigail Bessler, is even lending a hand, taking control of her Twitter account while barnstorming across Iowa.

Find out what's happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"Mom I've got this!" she wrote on Twitter while sharing a New York Times article her role as a surrogate.

Warren also has surrogates in the state including Ashley Judd. The actress and author is attending events at Dartmouth and in Lebanon and Nashua Friday.

Find out what's happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"I support Elizabeth for president because of her plan to end the rancid corruption in Washington that makes government work for the well-connected and leaves the vast majority of Americans behind," Judd said after endorsing Warren. "Elizabeth is brilliant, compassionate, day one prepared and she has a plan for that."

Also, on Friday, U.S. Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan will be in the state to assist the Warren campaign while U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts will be in New Hampshire Saturday. So will her husband, Bruce Mann. On Sunday, Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, will be in the state to canvas in Manchester while U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts is in Exeter and Nashua.

But surrogates aren't just for candidates currently serving in the Senate — they are for former Senators, too.

While Vice President Joe Biden will be in the state this weekend (see below), he also has surrogates campaigning for him. Former Sen. John Kerry, the Democrat's nominee in 2004, will be in Dover, Hampton, Portsmouth, and Manchester Sunday. Former Gov. John Lynch, easily one of the most popular political figures in the state since he was first elected in 2004, will spend next week barnstorming around the state as part of a "Live Free, Vote Joe" 10-county tour.

"There’s no question that this is the most important election of our lifetime, and none of us — myself included — can afford to sit on the sidelines," Lynch said. "As we enter the final days before the primary, I’m excited to go town to town and door to door, sharing with Granite Staters why I know Joe Biden will beat Donald Trump, rebuild the middle class, and restore the soul of our nation."

Lynch will be joined by a number of other former and current elected officials at nearly 30 events in Concord, Exeter, Nashua, Portsmouth, Salem, and other communities. BTW, if you see him during the bus tour, ask him what he remembers most about being governor. We bet you he'll say this was: VIDEO: Students Bid Gov. Lynch a Fond Goodbye

Tulsi Hits The Slopes

First, it was surfing on New Year's Day in the freezing Atlantic Ocean on Hampton Beach. Then, it was a pushup contest with a voter in Milford (she won). After that, she filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against her party's 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, after she characterized the Hawaii representative as a "Russian asset."

What next? Well, next week, it's snowboarding. Before a town hall event at Cranmore Mountain Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii is hitting the slopes. If supporters donate $50, they will get a one-day lift ticket to join her for some fun before her town hall at the lodge that evening.

Get Your NHDP Gear

This week, the New Hampshire Democratic Party relaunched its online store — and it features all kinds of "first-in-the-nation" gear including T-shirts, buttons, hoodies, pins, mugs, and stickers. Money from the gear, the party said, would go toward helping Democrats win up and down the ticket in 2020.

The NHDP also announced this week that 382 delegates had filed to run for convention seats, representing 11 candidates — the highest ever. The candidates hail from 130 communities across the state. Many of the delegate selection caucuses will be held Saturday.

Yup, NH GOP Has A Store, Too

If you're looking for a New Hampshire For Trump bumpersticker or a hat, the NH GOP's online store has them. They also have Reagan-Bush '84 shirts, too.

DNC debate viewership. Graphic by Tony Schinella, Patch.com.

Debate Audience Inches Up

As noted in the last New Hampshire Patch FITN 2020 update, DNC debate viewership had been on a slow decline since summer. However, Iowa's debate last week saw audiences bounce back up — from 6.17 million viewers via television and streaming to 11.3 million combined, in other words, nearly double the Dec. 19 debate. That is still down from the 24.3 and 27.1 million from the June debates.

The next debate and the only one in New Hampshire will be held on Feb. 7 at St. Anselm College in Manchester. It will air on WMUR-TV

Weld On Country's Division

GOP primary candidate and former Bay State Gov. William Weld was in Concord last week to meet with American Cancer Society activists as well as others. Patch got to ask him about how the campaign was going and what could be done about the national divide. Here are his answers.

Meet The Candidates

Here is the latest roundup of appearances for the next week or so.

At 11 a.m. Friday, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney will be at NHTI, Concord's community college, as part of the Community College System of New Hampshire's series of presidential forums concerning the health and growth of the American economy. The event is co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

Biden will be at a community event at the Common Man Inn on Water Street in Claremont at noon.

Gabbard hosts a town hall at The Barn at the Highland Lake Inn on Maple Street in Andover at 6 p.m.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will appear at a town hall meeting at 7:15 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building at UNH.

On Saturday, Biden hosts a town hall at 12:15 p.m. at the Mary Fisk Elementary School on Main Street in Salem.

Gabbard hosts a town hall at 5 p.m. in the Moultonborough Function Hall on Old Route 109.

On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet hosts four events including a roundtable talk with Every Child Matters at 10:30 a.m. at The Children's Place and Parent Education Center on Burns Avenue in Concord; at 12:30 p.m., he'll attend a town hall at Norman Crisp Elementary School on Arlington Street in Nashua; he'll attend a house party in Chester at 3 p.m.; and at 5 p.m., a house party in Manchester.

At 6:30 p.m., Gabbard will attend a town hall event at Heritage Commons/Samuel Reed Hall on High Street in Plymouth.

Gabbard will continue to campaign in the state next week: At 6 p.m. Monday, she'll be at Twin Barns Brewing Company on the DW Highway in Meredith; at 6 p.m. Tuesday, she'll host a town hall at Cranmore Mountain Resort on Skimobile Road in North Conway; and at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, she'll be at the Rochester American Legion Post 7 on Eastern Avenue for a town hall. At 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Gabbard will be at Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth for a Community College System of New Hampshire event.

Previous #FITN2020 Coverage

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