Who’s having a worse 2025: the Colorado Rockies, the Iranian mullahs, or the New Hampshire Democratic Party?

It’s a close call.

At least the Rockies have a couple of upset wins in their 19-65 season, and the Iranian Islamist regime is still in charge — for the moment.

New Hampshire Democrats? Name the last race they were supposed to lose, yet managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? And what part of Granite State government are they even relevant to, much less in charge of?

The unwritten headline from the ugly state budget battle wasn’t that the Democrats lost. It’s that they weren’t even in the game. If the entire Democratic caucus had decided to hit Hampton Beach last Thursday rather than show up at the House, would it have mattered?

It didn’t have to be that way. The Republican governor was in open warfare with the GOP-controlled state Senate, a terrific opportunity for a crafty, competent legislative leader. At the very least, they could have caused a few headaches. With a little luck, they might have gotten a legislative win along the way.

But the only time anyone is going to describe House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson or Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka as “crafty” is if they’re spotted making macrame owls at a Michaels store.

Yes, New Hampshire Democrats won all the federal elections in 2024, and they are almost certain to do the same in 2026. To paraphrase then-Vice President Joe Biden, it’s not a big [expletive] deal.

This is, after all, New England. There are 21 members of the House of Representatives and 12 U.S. senators from the six New England states, and one of them — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine — is a Republican. (Mostly.)

But even at the federal level, New Hampshire Democrats are a dud.

In 2024, Democratic candidates for Congress next door in Massachusetts won more than 80 percent of the total votes cast. The lowest-performing Massachusetts Democrat, U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, won by 13 points.

New Hampshire’s two Democrats got just 53.5 percent of the total vote, the lowest share in New England. Rep. Chris Pappas won by eight points, and Rep. Maggie Goodlander won by just six.

Given all this, 2025 looked like a good year for some Democratic “hope and change.” And it briefly appeared Democrats were ready to embrace just that. Early in the 2025 session, all but six House Democrats voted for a bill banning sanctuary city policies in New Hampshire, a major policy reversal.

But just a few weeks later, nearly every House Democrat flipped on their flop, returning to their pro-sanctuary-city stance. Their wildly unpopular stance.

The same on guys in girls’ sports. And on sex change operations for minor children, and parental rights. On issue after issue, New Hampshire Democrats looked for opportunities to shout their support for positions a majority of voters hate.

They even blew the biggest issue of the 2025 session — ending mandatory vehicle inspections.

How easy would it have been for Democrats to say, “Forget the rich car dealers — we’re on the side of the hard-working men and women who can’t afford those fees!”

Instead, when the legislation came to the House floor, Democrats overwhelmingly voted against it.

Is there anything New Hampshire Democrats have gotten right?

Democrats point to the fact that they’ve got Pappas on a primary-free glide path to the U.S. Senate nomination. And that’s true. But as of this writing, they don’t even have a name to put on the ballot in the race for Manchester mayor (which is this November). There’s not even a rumored candidate to challenge Ayotte for governor next year.

And take another look at that Pappas nomination. Yes, Pappas is a strong candidate. In fact, he’ll be harder to beat than the aging Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would have been if she hadn’t dropped out of the race. But for all his strengths, nobody would describe Pappas as a bold leader or an outspoken advocate for progressive policies.

(At NHJournal, Pappas’ nickname is “Track Star,” an homage to his fleet-footed exits when approached by our reporters.)

Across the state, the base of the Democratic Party is turning out for “No Kings” rallies and “Hands Off” rallies, and any other event where they can tout leftwing policies and their angry opposition to President Donald Trump. A competent party would find a way to harness that energy and turn it into votes for state and local candidates.

So, where are the Democratic candidates doing that? Where is the Carol Shea-Porter of 2026?

Perhaps Maura Sullivan will emerge as that candidate in her race against nepo baby Stefany Shaheen in the NH-01 primary. Sullivan posted an image of a “86 47” sign and, when confronted about the potentially violent message, refused to back down.

Stefany Shaheen, on the other hand, is still trying to figure out her position on protecting girls’ sports.

Critiques of the Democratic Party’s poor leadership can be dismissed as partisan, it’s true. But according to CNN’s Harry Enten, you know who really hates the current leadership of the Democratic Party?

Democrats.

“Democrats right now are out for blood — they want to take out their party leaders,” Enten said after reviewing the polls. “Democrats who say they want to replace their party leaders, 62 percent nationally say yes, compared to just 24 percent who say no.”

History teaches that there is no such thing as a GOP lead too big to blow. It’s entirely possible for Republicans to self-destruct by November 2026, particularly given how unpopular Trump remains in the Granite State.

But if Republicans are going to lose in New Hampshire, they’re going to have to lose it on their own. New Hampshire Democrats are utterly useless. Even to themselves.