New Hampshire Primary Candidates Descend On Convention: FITN 2020

CONCORD, NH — Last month, it was President Donald Trump, and a record-breaking crowd inside the SHNU Arena in Manchester, and 8,000 to 9,000 people outside the event. Saturday, it will be thousands and thousands of Democrats attending the 2019 New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention. Nearly every serious candidate running for the chance to challenge Trump next year will be attending and plans on speaking to the party faithful. The festivities start at 9 a.m. and will end at 4 p.m.

Between 9 and 11 a.m., Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Secretary Julian Castro, are all scheduled to speak, along with local and regional Democrats. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., U.S. Rep. John Delaney, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Rep. Robert "Beto" O'Rourke, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Tom Steyer are slated to speak. Between 1 and 3 p.m., U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, Gov. Steve Bullock, Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Admiral Joe Sestak, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang will all get a chance to speak.

Before And After The Convention

Many of the candidates made plans both before and after Saturday's event, in an effort to not only speak to convention delegates, but also meet with voters.

Gabbard, who is being kept out of the DNC-sponsored debates despite appearing to meet the debate criteria, was in Nashua Thursday, and in Dover on Friday. The Friday event was hosted by Equal Citizens, a new nonprofit formed by Lawrence Lessig, the Harvard law professor behind the NH Rebellion movement, who flirted with a run himself in 2015.

Candidates participating in the Equal Citizens will be discussing issues like campaign finance reform, the role of Super PACs, partisan gerrymandering, ranked-choice voting, voter registration, lobbying reform, and how to improve the we elect the president, according to the organization.

Biden is hosting town hall meetings in Laconia and New Castle tonight.

Bennet is also making stops in Bow, Merrimack, and Nashua after the convention. He'll be at the City Moose Café on Temple Street Sunday morning and then, the Merrimack County Democrats First in the Nation Picnic in Bow in the afternoon. He'll also be in Merrimack to discuss PFAS chemicals in water Sunday.

Buttigieg is meeting with supporters and voters before and after the convention, according to the campaign.

At 7 a.m., he'll be attending the VoteVets forum at the DoubleTree in Manchester and then, will host a picnic at Kalivas Park in Manchester. Buttigieg speaks at Prescott Park in Portsmouth at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

By the end of the weekend, Buttigieg will have 12 offices open in the state, according to the campaign. The campaign is opening an office in Somersworth on Government Way during the early evening. On Sunday, Buttigieg will be in Conway on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. and then on Pleasant Street in Berlin at 10:30 a.m. to open offices.

Klobuchar was in Manchester for the Health and Growth of the U.S. Economy forum at Manchester Community College.

Harris is also speaking with VoteVets Saturday after holding a town hall in Londonderry. Tonight, she speaks at the Portsmouth Democratic Committee's annual banquet. This year, it's sold out.

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Endorsements … They've Got 'Em

Michael King and Chris Spirou, two former New Hampshire Democratic Party chairmen, announced their support for former Vice President Joe Biden Friday, on the eve of the convention.

"What the country desperately needs right now is someone who can heal our divisions and restore our relationships with our allies," said King. "I'm confident that Joe Biden is that person."

Spirou said that Biden had "great integrity" and he had been "exceptionally dedicated to understanding what matters most to Granite Staters and has a proven record of getting things done."

Buttigieg also had a slew of endorsements announced this week including former Executive Council candidate Dan Weeks, state Reps. Susan Almy, Andrew O’Hearne, Matt Wilhelm, Dave Morrill, and Cole Riel. Former Lebanon Mayor and City Councilor Suzanne Prentiss and Epping Board of Selectmen Chairman Adam Munguia also endorsed the candidate. Former state Rep. Andrew White is also backing Buttigieg.

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