State Senate Democrats earned an “A” for effort (if not for their math) with their “More Money in Your Pocket” press conference Wednesday. They had a message: Stuff is too expensive. And they had a solution: We’ll pay for it!
But it was hard not to miss what they didn’t have: a candidate to make their case.
The Democrats’ spending plan shouldn’t be taken literally or seriously. It’s not meant to be. Republicans have a supermajority in the state Senate and control the House and Governor’s Office as well.
This “More Money” proposal isn’t policy; it’s a sales pitch. And even if Minority Leader Perkins Kwoka were a major political force (she’s not), it’s extremely difficult for legislators to lead the public debate or shift the politics.
That’s a job for a statewide politician, as Gov. Kelly Ayotte is demonstrating. As a candidate, she hit the issues of bail reform, sanctuary cities, and support for law enforcement hard. All those issues landed on her desk earlier this year, including her (misguided) Group II pension giveaway to cops and firefighters that was opposed by members of her own party.
Statewide candidates set agendas, not legislators from Portsmouth or Londonderry. Watching Perkins Kwoka and company do their best Oprah impression Wednesday (“You get some state money! And YOU get some state money…”), it was easy to imagine how a candidate for governor could use that message to make political hay.
But as the old political saw goes, you can’t beat somebody with nobody. And that’s what Democrats have got — nobody.
Don’t believe the self-serving spin from Concord insiders about “we have plenty of time” or “Hey, John Lynch got in late,” etc. While it’s true that Lynch didn’t file his committee paperwork until mid-May of 2004, it’s also true that Lynch is a multimillionaire who owned a $16 million vacation home in the British Virgin Islands.
Hey Democrats — got one of those in the wings for next year?
No, they don’t. They have Jon Kiper.
It’s easy to pick on Kiper, but he’s doing the one thing nobody else in his party is doing. He’s running.
And he has a point when he complains that “the ‘maybe I’ll run’ crowd is hurting the candidates who are actually doing the work.”
“Some folks keep teasing that they ‘might’ run for governor and that there’s ‘plenty of time.’ Not in New Hampshire,” he added. “Only one late-entry candidate ever won; John Lynch. He faced a massively unpopular governor and spent $11 million of his own money to do it.”
Here’s the political reality. There is no “maybe I’ll run” crowd. There are candidates and there are non-candidates. And at this point in the political calendar, if you’re not running, you’re not a serious candidate for governor.
That means you, Cinde Warmington. No matter how many times you drop less-than-subtle hints to people in the press that you’re really thinking about it, and you’re talking to a lot of people, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Please. The only reason Warmington isn’t running for governor today is that she isn’t running.
What’s the upside to not raising money, not talking to voters, or not being in the press? Warmington isn’t going to sneak up on Ayotte and stun her with a surprise political attack.
There’s a reason Democrats in the NH-01 primary have been running for months, even though they have the same filing deadline as the governor’s race. It’s what candidates do.
There was plenty of snickering in political circles about Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern’s “if another Democrat stepped forward to carry that mantle, I’d be really happy not to run for governor” answer to the “are you running” question. In fact, it was honest and effective. He let it be known he’s being recruited to run next year — and that his recruiters need to find another candidate. He doesn’t want to do it.
What Democrat does?
It’s been jokingly suggested that if state party chairman Ray Buckley were smart, he’d take all the “Jess Spillers for Mayor” signs from Manchester, slap “for governor” across the bottom, and save the party some money.
Question: If the only alternative is Jon Kiper, is that still just a joke?
Everyone (other than President Donald Trump) can see that 2026 is likely to be a lousy year for Republicans. As in 2006 and 2018, there’s not much the GOP can do but curl up in a ball and take their beating. That could change, but that’s the current forecast.
And despite the positive political climate — and against a one-term incumbent who’s had high-profile flare-ups with members of her own party — New Hampshire Democrats can’t find a single competitive candidate to challenge her?
Jess Spillers, call your office….
