The Monday Memo is a mix of reporting, rumors, analysis, and unkind comments compiled from various sources and provided for your entertainment and enlightenment each Monday. Reader discretion is advised.
Nepo Babies, Unite!
Is this what New Hampshire Democrats mean when they talk about “family values?”
Over the weekend, the Union Leader’s Kevin Landrigan broke the news that Julia Williams, the daughter of former Gov. John Lynch, is considering getting into the governor’s race.
“Yes, I have been encouraged by Granite Staters, regardless of party affiliation, to consider running for governor and is something I am currently evaluating. I’m humbled by the encouragement,” Williams said.
With erotic poet Jon Kiper making headlines and the state Democrats desperately trying to lure Cinde Warmington out from under her desk with a bowl of warm milk, any viable candidate could look good right about now.
What doesn’t look so great, however, is having John Lynch’s daughter join Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter and Betsy Tamposi’s daughter on the same ballot. “Family friendly” is one thing, but a party dominated by dynasties is a bit much.
Is this a political party or a family reunion?
Democrats have an obvious response: “Sununu.”
“It was Daddy and his boys, now it’s ‘Daddies and their girls,’ laughed former Sen. Lou D’Allesandro. But the situation isn’t quite the same. Gov. Chris Sununu had served as an Executive Councilor when he became governor. John E. Sununu is a former U.S. Senator seeking his old job.
Maggie Goodlander hadn’t lived in New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District since high school before her 2024 run, Stefany Shaheen is a former one-term Portsmouth city councilor, and Williams is a total unknown to Granite State voters.
What makes them legitimate candidates for the most powerful offices in the state?
“Democrats: The ‘D’ stands for ‘DNA,'” one GOP consultant joked in response to the Williams news.
But a senior Democrat had a different take. “If it’s a family reunion, I’d be happy to attend. All quality people from solid New Hampshire families.”
The fact is, Goodlander and her allies were able to shove workhorse Democrat Colin Van Ostern out of the NH-02 race in favor of an untested newcomer from a Nashua dynasty. And despite her stumbles, Stefany Shaheen’s last name is keeping her in first place in the NH-01 primary polls.
So why not Gov. Lynch’s daughter? Williams has a Dartmouth MBA, is a healthcare executive, and, multiple sources in both parties said, is a solid, smart Granite State citizen.
So smart, in fact, the betting is she’s just floating her name to generate some buzz, but she has no plan to actually enter the 2026 race.
“She absolutely has political ambition,” one Democrat official told NHJournal. “This is just a way to get her name out. She doesn’t have any intention of running now.” Several Concord insiders echoed that thinking.
And then there’s the overall political climate. With the progressive base in a frenzy on the left and the MAGA right ready to rumble in the GOP, does the current climate seem right for dynasty politics?
“Will 2026 be the year of the ‘nepopotamus’ with scions of the Lynch, Shaheen, and Sununu political dynasties all on the primary ballot?” one campaign veteran asks. “New Hampshire loves its political dynasties, but the progressive and MAGA wings of the parties may revolt and absolutely lose their collective mind at this triple-whammy.”
YOUR MONDAY MEMO-ROLOGY FORECAST:
The snow may be falling, but it’s sunny days in the Corner Office. Every day the Democrats don’t have a candidate for governor not named Kiper is a good day for Gov. Kelly Ayotte. The odds are that 2026 will be tough on Republicans, and Ayotte’s approval rating is just in the “good enough” range. But every day Cinde Warmington sits out, and every rumor of a “rescue” candidate sends the message that Democrats don’t believe they can beat the incumbent Ayotte.
The fumbling fiasco over the NHGOP’s leadership last week was embarrassing, but that was just a minor storm that will soon blow over. The bad news is that the entire story reinforces the fact that the New Hampshire Republican Party is a paper tig… well, elephant. The hope of former Mayor Paul Callaghan was that he might pump some life into the party’s infrastructure. Now the party is back to its moribund old self.
Speaking of the NHGOP, you doubt former chair Chris Ager at your peril. He went 2-0 against Gov. Chris Sununu in party leadership fights, and he got the RNC to whack Callaghan. But the result wasn’t Chairman Ager, it’s Chairman Scott Maltzie — for the rest of the term. The party’s weaker headed into a tough midterm, and Ager’s frozen out.
“DON’T PUT THAT IN THE MEMO!
(Stuff people said that we weren’t supposed to tell you about.)
“Deaglan McEachern for governor will be a test run for Gavin Newsom’s hair in the FITN primary.” — Heard around the State House.
“How much ketchup did NH-01 congressional candidate Maura Sullivan throw at the wall in her New Castle manse when Rep. Heath Howard – accused misogynist and heckler of U.S. senators – beat her in the latest UNH poll, despite raising millions of dollars?” — An inquiring Seacoast mind.
ACTION MEMO: WAZZUP AT THE STATE HOUSE THIS WEEK
Monday, Jan. 26
Mother Nature has closed the State House for the day. The slate of House committee hearings scheduled for Monday will be rescheduled.
Tuesday, Jan. 27
9 a.m. — Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee — SH 103
ENR considers four bills designed to bring down New Hampshire’s high electric rates, including SB 591 (Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua), which would give utility companies a limited exemption to own their own power generation facilities.
9:15 a.m. — Senate Education Committee — State Library Map Room
The Senate Education Committee takes up a bill from Sen. Victoria Sullivan (R-Manchester), SB 580, which would set up a joint purchasing program for state schools and also allow the state to place local districts into receivership should they face a financial crisis such as the one that befell Claremont.
Sen. Donovan Fenton (D-Keene) brings back a proposal to expand eligibility for free school lunches, with the state picking up half the tab. SB 517.
9:30 a.m. — House Education Funding Committee — GP 232
Fallout from the Claremont School District scandal continues as the committee considers several bills addressing what happens during a school district financial emergency.
10 a.m. — House Election Law Committee — GP 158
Representatives will hold a public hearing on HB 1627 (Rep. Matthew Coker, R-Meredith), which would replace Republican and Democratic primaries with a single “jungle” primary, similar to those used in Manchester or California, where the top two candidates move on to the general election.
Members are then expected to take action on SB 1300, the DOA redistricting bill that Chairman Ross Berry wants to convert into a requirement that local voters decide every two years whether to adopt a local tax cap.