Archives
This page is an archive of previously posted items.
Week ending October 18
No Kings rally in Walpole
Democratic signs go up in Gilsum and Alstead
-- photos courtesy of Barbara Bryce
Week ending October 4
Ballot question on school funding
Ballot question: messaging guidance
--Jason Madden Oct 1, email
Jason Madden is the caucus director for the NH House Democrats. His guidance reflects electoral research and input from stakeholder groups who participated in the recent legal action to try to stop this ballot question.
Here is his advice for talking about Ballot Question 2:
Do
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Connect voting “No” to protecting public education and supporting our students and schools.
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Communicate examples of what could be cut, including bus routes, CTE programming, extracurriculars, or arts and music courses
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Provide indicators to who is on each side of the issue.
Don''t
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Don't call it a "tax cap". Many voters support lower taxes. Call it "Question 2."
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Don't say "this takes away local control." Say "we want to decide how to invest in our schools."
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Don't bring up the cap on administrative spending. It's too confusing.
Terri O'Rorke: HB1300
--Terri O'Rorke, Sep 27, Substack
This referendum is nothing more than a devious attempt to unconstitutionally sidestep the legislative and electoral process, after almost all school districts, with budget cap proposals on their warrants this spring and last year, saw them fail. Precedent was also set when, in 1999, the NH Supreme Court found a similar question amounted to an unconstitutional delegation of power by the Legislature. What the majority party does NOT tell us is, in order to reduce our burdensome property taxes the state needs to increase its court ordered share of school funding.
Another step taken in the unconstitutional direction by Free Staters.
Read the full article here.
Steve Marchand: Ballot Question 2, part 2
--Steve Marchand, Sep 30, Substack
Republicans put HB1300 on the ballot to "juice up" Republican turnout and to be able to say "we did something about property taxes."
In this article, Steve Marchand describes the background reason why Republicans put HB1300 on the ballot. Although the top issue that concerns NH voters is affordable housing, many voters, including the voters most likely to decide the results of the 2026 election, are upset about how high property taxes are.
Read the full article here.
You can read part 1 of Steve's explanation of Question 2, here..
Other news
As winter nears, heating oil prices loom
--Abigail Ham Sep 25, The Keene Sentinel
Many Granite Staters may feel a chill from their heating bills as well as from the weather this winter.
With home heating oil prices up about 63 percent over this time last year, filling the tank may be a bigger financial hit than people are used to — or not possible at all.
According to data from Sept. 16, the average price for a gallon of residential heating oil in southwestern New Hampshire was $5.70. To fill a 200-gallon tank, that’s about $1,140. Do that three times in a winter, and that’s a $3,420 bill.
A year ago, that same bill would have been about $2,100.
Read the full article here.
Business and Industry Association Ranks Lawmakers for the 2026 Session; Political Winds Shifting
--Garry Rayno Sep 30, InDepthNH.org
The Business and Industry Association’s annual legislative report and legislative rankings is an indication of how much the political landscape has changed in Concord.
In the report on the completed 2026 session, Democrats voted far more favorably than Republicans on bills the organization selected as key to their agenda.
Of the 12 House members who voted 100 percent with the BIA, only one was a Republican, the rest were Democrats
Read the full article here.
Week ending September 27
New Coalition seeks to alert Republicans about Free State Project
--Zach Laird, Sep 24, InDepth.org
Republicans Against the Free State Agenda is a coalition of citizens whose “goal is to break the hold the Free State Agenda has on the Republican Party by providing Republican voters with straightforward facts to evaluate independently".
Spokesperson Jennifer Peabody noted that the group is made up of Republicans, moderate Democrats, and independents “trying to make the Republican party aware of what’s happening.”
Eric Brakey, executive director of the Free State Project, said his project is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) educational organization and they “do not run candidates, endorse candidates, or financially support candidates, and we are not an arm of the Republican Party or any other political party.”
Read the full article here.
Recent NH Polls: Good News for Democrats
--Steve Marchand, Sep 25, Substack
On September 242, the latest Granite State Poll (a States of Opinion Project, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center) was released.
Democrats could find lots of promising news: Chris Pappas retains a "small but durable lead" and Cinde Warmington narrows Ayotte's lead.
On the other hand, Democrat Stefany Shaheen, candidate for NH Congressional District 1, tops Republican Anthony DiLorenzo by only 46% to 42%
See the full post here.
America's Crummiest Dynasty
--Andy Borowitz, Sep 240 The Bulwark
New Hampshire's own Andy Borowitz compares the Sununu dynasty to other American dynasties and muses about the chances of John Sununu's campaign for re-election. The post includes a hilarious video of Ronald Reagan trying to pronounce "Sununu".
Read the full article here.
NH's School Tax Cap Question, explained
--Steve Marchand, Sep 24, Substack
HB1300, commonly known as the "school tax cap question" will appear on the November ballot this year and next. It has the potential to be one of the biggest changes in New Hampshire’s political culture in more than 50 years, if many towns approve this question.
In the first of three posts about this question, Steve Marchand explains in detail what you need to know. He points out that results could be mixed because most towns are part of more than one school district: a town district for Grades 1 - 8 and a larger district for Grades 9 - 12. Depending on the makeup of the larger district, a liberal town in a conservative school district, for example, could end up with a school tax cap on the larger district but no cap on the town district.
Read the full post here.
2026 Campaign messaging
The New Hampshire House Dems Victory Committee (DVCC) released a list of issues that appeal to persuadable voters, based on their polling and focus groups. See the list of issues here.
Chris Muns, a NH State Rep from a Rockingham district has compiled a list of issues that reveal NH House Republicans' contradictory voting patterns. See the list of issues here.
Assassination post draws condemnation
--Rick Green, Sep 24, The Keene Sentinel
The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, which is unaffiliated with the national party, received widespread condemnation Thursday for a social media post supporting violence against Democratic leaders.
Read the full article here.
Where is New Hampshire headed
--Garry Rayno, Sep 26, InDepthNH.org
Garry Rayno reflects on how six years of Republican rule have impacted public school funding, local control, and the rights of transgender children and their parents.
Read the full article here.
Week ending September 20
NH Supreme Court: school tax-cap must be on the November ballot
-- Staff reporter, Sep 17, InDepthNH.org
Two parents whose request to block the school budget cap question from appearing on the November ballot that was shot down by Judge Dan St. Hilaire filed an emergency appeal to the state Supreme Court Wednesday, but that too was quickly denied.
On Thursday, state Supreme Court Justice Bryan Gould wrote a one sentence denial without explanation: “David Bates and Kelly Wieser’s emergency motion for temporary restraining order is denied.”
Read the full article here.
Trump DOJ: NH must keep old ballots
-- Todd Bookman, Sep 10, NHPR
Typically, towns and cities in New Hampshire can begin shredding old paper ballots 22 months after an election. Just as that retention window was closing for the 2024 general election, though, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered state officials to continue to preserve the records.
In a letter dated September 4, an attorney from the Justice Department instructed New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan to retain all hard copies of records, citing “ongoing litigation” against the state, without citing a case. The federal government does not spell out what the state is accused of, or if it will seek to physically review old ballots.
See the full article here.
Talking points in opposition to Ayotte
-- Maggie Cohen, Sep 15, email
Kelly Ayotte's voting record in the US Senate and her record as Governor demonstrates her opposition to many policies favord by Democrats. She has supported some bipartisan bills and vetoes but these are not addressed in this summary.
Also, despite Ayotte’s ads and a Wikipedia entry, Cinde Warmington was not a pharmaceutical lobbyist. Warmington was a health-care attorney who represented Purdue Pharma for a limited period in 2001–02 and lobbied against a proposed New Hampshire Medicaid restriction on OxyContin. Her argument was that treatment decisions should be made by physicians based on their patients’ medical needs rather than imposed through a Medicaid formulary restriction. She says she was unaware at the time of Purdue’s fraudulent conduct, which was subsequently exposed.
NH Republicans' "Granite Guarantee
-- Paula Tracy, Sep 14, InDepthNH.org
If NH Republicans retain control over the governor's office, the NH House and the NH Senate, they have a seven-point plan for what they hope to accomplish:
1. Ban an Income Tax – Forever
2. Cap Your Property Tax
3. Cut even more red tape
4. Lower energy bills
5. Lower health care costs
6. Parents decide
7. Support Public Safety
See the full article here.
Repercussions of ICE visit linger
-- Abigail Ham, Sep 18 Keene Sentinel
People who work with immigrants locally have said the presence of ICE in the city caused a spike in anxiety within immigrant communities and led some people to consider leaving the area.
But City Manager Elizabeth Ferland maintained at Thursday’s council meeting that the city can’t act on most of the public’s requests for more transparency about immigration enforcement in the city due to state law banning interference with ICE, at the risk of losing state funding.
Read the full article here.
Week ending September 13
Christine and Lucius Parshall meet with Nelson voters
Nelson residents turned out to share concerns with the Parshalls
Lucius and Christine Parshall (candidates for NH House Cheshire County Districts 16 and 8, respectively) met with a group of folks at the library in Nelson. They talked about a few hot topics from the last legislative session (including the school budget cap question on this November’s ballots), bills coming up in the next session, and to hear their concerns.
They heard a few familiar themes: the burden of property taxes, a need for NH to take a fresh look at revenue sources (yes, this includes talking about taxes), and continued work to address environmental issues such as energy resources, hot composting facilities, recycling and trash reduction. Thank you Olivia Rodham Library!
NH House primary results
Free Staters on the Democratic ballot in Keene
In Cheshire County House District 3, which is also Keene’s Ward 5, Jones, the incumbent and a Keene city councilor, defeated Free Stater Aria DiMezzo, 583-132.
In Cheshire County House District 4, which is also Keene’s Ward 4, Jodi Newell, the incumbent, defeated Free Stater C. Riley Blake, 618-38.
For state-wide primary results, see the Secretary of State website.
Despite Record Voter Turnout, the Democrats Might Have a Problem
--by Garry Rayno, Sep 12, InDepthNH.org
Statewide, Democratic voters exceeded the Republican voters by 40,000. Cinde Warmington received 25,303 more votes than Kelly Ayotte.
However, Warmington gained 81% of the Democratic votes cast, while Ayotte received 91% of the Republican ones.
If Democrats continue to hold back their votes for Warmington, and the school budget cap question is on the ballot, drawing out more Republican voters, this will be a problem for the Democratic ticket.
See the complete article here.
David Trumble debates Jim Creighton on WMUR
David Trumble on Sunday morning's Close Up
David Trumble, candidate for NH Senate District 8 and current debate coach at St Anselm College, offered complete, articulate responses to questions on taxes, housing, local control, and education funding, among other topics. David made the point repeatedly that we must fund the services that will allow our young people to stay in NH and raise their families. See some clips from the debate here.
Jim Gruber at the polls
Jim with his sample ballot
Jim Gruber and some volunteers were at the polls all day in Alstead and during the busiest times in Stoddard. The large sample ballot Jim was holding attracted a lot of attention and served to initiate conversations about issues and Jim's candidacy. Many thanks to the neighbors who volunteered to be with Jim and speak to voters at the polls.
See Jim's latest post here.
NH State Senate primary results
Goodlander granted "intervening status" in PUC hearing of Liberty Utilities rate hike
--by Paula Tracy, Sep 10, InDepthNH.org
Liberty Utilities has requested changes to its permanent rates that would ncrease its operating revenues.
If the rate hike is approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Goodlander said the increase would raise a typical residential heating customer’s monthly bill by nearly $26 dollars a month.
Non-heating customers would also see bills rise by more than $12, a 20.52 percent increase, according to Liberty’s customer notice.
Goodlander has also pressed the to PUC to reconsider an Eversource rate hike, introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to accelerate hydropower production and lower energy costs, joined a bipartisan letter urging President Trump to address skyrocketing energy prices, launched the Lowering Costs Caucus, and cosponsored bipartisan legislation to lower utility costs for Granite Staters.
See the complete article here.
Week ending September 6
ALSTEAD HOUSE PARTY SUPPORTS JIM GRUBER'S CAMPAIGN
Local residents turned out in force to support Jim Gruber's campaign for NH House CC District 9
Republicans are ruining NH; vote David Trumble
--Louise Ewing, Keene Sentinel, Sep 5-6
Republicans have controlled the N.H. Statehouse, Governor’s Office and Executive Council for the past 10 years. During this time, they have consistently cut business taxes, resulting in a revenue loss of between $795 million and $1.17 billion.
The Education Freedom Accounts program, paid for with our tax dollars, has increased to $87 million, with no fiscal oversight. Education, healthcare, infrastructure and public services still need to be paid for. Republicans just downshifted the costs to small towns and cities across the state, making our property taxes sky rocket.
Read the full article in the Keene Sentinel here.
Jim Gruber: Campaign progress
Working with many of you, we have completed visiting homes with 260+ undeclared or occasional voters and spent multiple visits speaking with many residents at the Gilsum and Alstead transfer/recycling centers. From this canvassing, I perceive strong frustration with the recent political direction of both our state and our country. Many are struggling with high costs of living, concerned about the downshifting of State costs onto local property taxes, the lack of State support for our local public schools, and top-down decrees from Concord to our local governments. Many express the need for change.
Read Jim's full email here.
New Hampshire Democrats Sound an Alarm: ‘We’re Losing’
--by Jess Bidgood, Sep 6, in The New York Times
In recent weeks, a tide of anxiety has risen among Democrats in the Granite State who are concerned that a party with big dreams of expanding its map could let the seat left open by the pending retirement of Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, slip from its grasp.
Mr. Pappas himself is raising the alarm and underscoring the national implications of the race. He put it bluntly in a fund-raising email on Friday morning: “We’re losing.”
Read the full article in the New York Times here.
Lucius Parshall: Free-staters running as Democrats
--Lucius Parshall, Keene Sentinel, Sep 5-6
New Hampshire has long prided itself on pragmatic, community-focused governance. However, a quiet but radical shift has taken over the Statehouse. Free State Project participants, backed by out-of-state money from groups like Americans for Prosperity, have systematically seized control of the House Republican majority.
Not satisfied with taking over the southern tier of Cheshire County, Concord libertarians are now stealthily running in blue districts against the Democrats we have come to trust. We are seeing this directly in our local primaries, where libertarian activists are attempting to hijack the Democratic ballot.
Read the full article in the Keene Sentinel here.
The Free State Project, Part 3
--Jeff Kennedy, Keene Sentinel, Sep 5-6
The success of the Free State Project (FSP) is a problem that has gone unnoticed by a significant segment of our voting populace. The FSP wants it that way, but thankfully awareness of what they’re up to is growing.
Their objective is to reduce the size of government, cut government spending, lower taxes, abolish public schools, reduce public services and regulations. While some of those objectives may look good in writing, cloaked behind words like “liberty” and “freedom,” you have to look at actual results.
Read the full article in the Keene Sentinel here.
Keene resident released after
three weeks in ICE custody
--Keene Sentinel, Sep 3
A man arrested by ICE in Keene on Aug. 8 and jailed in Massachusetts was released Wednesday after posting a $1,500 bond, according to documents on file in federal court in Boston.
U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs ordered the bond hearing, finding it unlawful for ICE to continue to hold him without such a hearing. Bond is routinely allowed if someone is not a flight risk or a danger to the community.
Read the full article in the Keene Sentinel here.
Cinde Warmington responds to attacks on her work for Purdue Pharma
Week ending August 30
The Alstead Dems hosted a Meet the Candidates event at Orchard Hill last Sunday.
About 60 people attend with ten exceptional candidates, including (as seen from left to right in the photo to the right):
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Terri O'Rorke, candidate for re-election to CC House District 7
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Chris McLaughlin, candidate for re-election as CC Attorney
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Christine Parshall, candidate for election to CC House District 8
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Lucius Parshall, current CC House District 8 Rep, candidate for CC House District 16
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Karen Liot Hill, candidate for re-election to the NH Executive Council
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Max Saal, candidate for election to US Senate
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David Trumble, candidate for NH Senate District 8
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Donovan Fenton, candidate for re-election to NH Senate District 10
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Jim Gruber, current CC House District 16 Rep, candidate for CC House District 9
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David Jenkins, candidate for CC Attorney
Miranda Spencer won the $50 prize for the best dessert, delicious Tiramisu Brownies, and donated her prize to the Alstead Dems. Thank you, Miranda!
David Trumble in Claremont
The Claremont Back to School Festival is a wonderful annual event that takes place a week before school starts. Hundreds of families come, and local businesses, non-profit organizations, social service providers, the schools, PTOs, and more, all show up, each with their own table and things to hand out. David has been there the past three years and is so impressed with the great community spirit. The Democratic candidates on the ballot in Claremont and the Claremont Town Dems Committee put together a tent and table..
Week ending August 23
Meet the Candidates event in Gilsum
Meet the Candidates in Gilsum on August 16
Sunday August 16, Gilsum Democrats gathered for their annual candidate meet-and-greet potluck barbecue.
They hosted 8 candidates for Gilsum who came in person, with 7 other campaigns or organizations represented. There was a record turn-out and great food!
Inspirational music was provided by State Rep. Lucius Parshall running for House District 16 and Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill. Go Blue!
Photos by Zoe Hill
David Trumble and Jim Gruber in Gilsum August 16
Annual voter roll cleanup required
Thousands of New Hampshire residents risk being purged from voter rolls right before an election simply because they haven’t checked their mail.
A new law took effect this year requiring Supervisors of the Checklist in each town in New Hampshire to review and verify registered voters annually, rather than every decade, and to remove voters who have not voted in the past five years.
Senate Bill 221, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in August 2025, mandates an annual verification process between April 1 and August 1 to reduce bloat in voting rolls and improve accuracy by removing voters who have since moved.
KSC Statement: Why We Must Elect Cinde Warmington, Governor
-- published August 19 on kentstreetcoalition.org
Republicans have controlled every lever of state government since 2020. In that time, we have watched property taxes skyrocket, housing and healthcare become increasingly unaffordable for average Granite Staters, public schools attacked, and our most fundamental freedoms eroded.
This is not by accident, it is by design. The Free State Project has hijacked NH politics and the NH GOP has refused to fight back.
Governor Ayotte has helped lead the far-right charge. Whether it be her open collusion with Trump’s MAGA policies or her embrace of the GOP Free State Agenda, Kelly Ayotte has been a disaster for everyday Granite Staters.
Ayotte must be defeated in November and Cinde Warmington is the person who can make that happen. The polls are clear: Cinde can win. Two months out, Cinde is within single digits of an incumbent governor. Ayotte’s job approval numbers are lower than any first-term governor in over 30 years.
For the full article, see Kent Street Coalition.
State Asks NH Supreme Court to Overturn Claremont in School Funding Appeal
-- published August 11 on fairfundingnh.org
Last week, the State of New Hampshire filed a 125-page brief asking the New Hampshire Supreme Court to overturn the latest lower-court ruling in the Rand school funding lawsuit. But the brief goes well beyond asking the Court to reverse one decision.
The State gives the Court a series of options, ranging from overturning more than three decades of school funding precedent to much narrower reasons for throwing out the case. Taken together, the arguments move in a consistent direction: preserve the current funding structure while reducing the State’s legal responsibility for the inequities and property tax pressures that structure creates.
For the full article, see NH School Funding Fairness Project
Week ending August 16
The Keene Sentinel reported on Monday, August 10, that ICE agents had been active in Keene and had made at least one arrest.
Keene residents, including Terri O'Rorke, quickly responded by holding an impromptu rally in the early evening.
The Keene Sentinel reported on Wednesday, August 12, that one Keene resident had been arrested and transported to the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts.
On Friday, August 14, Joe Schapiro, former NH State Rep for District 16, was quoted in the Keene Sentinel as saying that ICE had arrested three people.
On Saturday, the Keene Rally Coalition organized a Stop Deporting Our Neighbors rally in Central Square.
The Keene City Council will hold a workshop meeting on Monday, August 17, 2026, at 6 PM in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall (3 Washington Street, Keene) regarding federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Keene.
The public is welcome to attend and public comments will be accepted.
Stop Deporting Our Neighbors rally in Central Square on Saturday, August 15 ->
--impromptu rally August 10
Week ending August 9
David Trumble (candidate for NH Senate District 8) has had a busy week:
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On Tuesday, August 4, David attended community events in Claremont and Newport.
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On Thursday, August 6, David was at the Annual League of NH Craftsmen Fair.
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On Saturday, August 8, David was at the Lempster Old Home Day.
David at the Annual League of NH Craftsman Fair
Christine and Lucius Parshall (candidates for NH House Districts 8 and 16, respectively) had a busy weekend last week:
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They visited Harrisville for the Saturday morning coffee hour.
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They went to Open Democracy’s Granny D march in Peterborough.
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On Sunday they volunteered with Monadnock Lions by working at Cheshire Fair.
Jim Gruber (candidate for NH House District 9) has been busy printing campaign leaflets and T shirts and designing button pins.
Donovan Fenton (candidate for NH State Districts 10) is running unopposed for his Senate seat. He vows to campaign on behalf of other Democratic candidates for the NH House and Senate.
2026 Campaign Kickoff
The Alstead Democrat Town Committee hosted 25 activists from towns in the northern Monadnock region at the Orchard Hill Community Center in Alstead on July 8.
All four candidates for State Rep ⎯ Terri O'Rorke, Christine Parshall, Jim Gruber, and Lucius Parshall ⎯ and one candidate for State Senator ⎯ David Trumble ⎯ attended. Our other State Senator candidate ⎯ Donovan Fenton ⎯ had a prior engagement.
We identified the types of voters the campaign should target, the issues that would resonate with them, and the strategies we can use to engage with them.
