By PAULA TRACY, InDepthnH.org
CONCORD – With Republican presidential candidates swarming into the state this week to seek early primary votes, leaders of the New Hampshire Democratic Party held a press conference Monday criticizing what they call their conservative “out-of-touch” agenda and predicting that none will get the nod here in the general election.
Senate Minority Leader Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, together with NH Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said the candidates don’t support the freedoms and values that New Hampshire voters cherish, including reproductive rights.
On Tuesday alone four candidates will be campaigning here for president. Former President Donald Trump will be attending a 10 a.m. gathering in Concord organized by the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, while also Tuesday in Hudson, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to address potential voters there.
Also Tuesday former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley will host a town hall in Hollis.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is also in New Hampshire. On Tuesday he is in Londonderry for a Town Hall at 6 p.m. at the Londonderry Senior Center.
Soucy called it the Republican crop in a “race to the bottom.”
“Every single one of these candidates is a threat to the freedoms that Granite Staters hold so dear. They want to cut crucial programs like Social Security. They want to rig the economy for the ultra-wealthy and while our children face the threats of gun violence in schools, they wear their NRA endorsements like a badge of honor,” she said.
But Soucy said she knows New Hampshire voters “will soundly reject whichever candidate makes it out of this messy MAGA primary.”
An NBC poll conducted June 16-20 found Trump still in the lead among Republican voters even after his indictment on federal charges he intentionally withheld secret documents at his home after leaving the White House.
The poll found, however, that a majority of all voters had concerns about another Trump presidency with President Joe Biden leading by four points.
Trump had 46 percent over DeSantis’ 31 percent while former Vice President Mike Pence had six percent, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie with 5 percent, and the rest of the field below that.
Buckley said there are more than just the issues of abortion rights that make the four out of touch, including their hopes of gutting Social Security and Medicaid.
He said Trump favors tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations while running up the deficit. DeSantis, he said, has done nothing to address a housing and insurance crisis in Florida.
Haley supports massive handouts for big corporations in her home state of South Carolina and Ramaswamy is not shy about tooting Trump’s horn on his “disastrous record.”
Soucy said, “Here in New Hampshire, we are pro-choice…I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous it is that Trump, DeSantis, Haley, and Ramaswamy are opposed to that most fundamental freedom. Abortion is a litmus test for Republicans running for president — especially in New Hampshire — and Granite Staters deserve to know where each of these candidates stands.”
Buckley said while Iowa will have a caucus, New Hampshire stands out as an actual primary that does not have an inside track for the candidate.
“It’s the first real challenge,” he said, answering why it seems the Republicans are so focused on New Hampshire now.
“At every turn, they’ve put the ultra-rich and big corporations over working people,” said Buckley. “The contrast is clear: Democrats are fighting to make sure every Granite Stater can put food on the table and a roof over their head, and 2024 MAGA Republicans are pushing extreme culture wars and fighting for the ultra-rich.”
It still remains a question whether Democrat Biden will place his name on the ballot in the New Hampshire presidential primary as the Democratic National Party has told New Hampshire it can no longer go first.
Buckley said, “I think that we very much hope the president will put his name on the ballot and will run a robust campaign. When it comes to the general election, there is absolutely no doubt that Joe Biden carried New Hampshire over Donald Trump,” he said noting Biden received more votes in 2020 than any other candidate ever.
“With his strong record on the economy and addressing so many of the other very important issues and of course the whole issue of the Dobbs decision, I think New Hampshire will turn out very strong for the Democratic ticket,” he said.