“Right now, I’m the top Democrat in state government in New Hampshire, and I am their target.” — Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill.
What’s sadder: Karen Liot Hill calling herself the state’s “top Democrat,” or the fact that she’s right?
Since NHJournal first reported on her low-dollar grift, readers keep asking, “Why bother? She’s nobody.” True enough. As the lone Democrat on the five-member Executive Council, her vote rarely matters. She has no political organization, no name recognition, and her main fundraising skill seems to be converting donations into household repairs and salon visits.
As a political force, Liot Hill is irrelevant. And yet she can still claim the “top Dem” title — a damning reflection of her party’s state.
In his Substack, The Politics of New Hampshire, Steve Marchand offers astute observations on the topic from a Democratic operative’s perspective. Over the weekend, he posted about the “redistricting rumblings” among some of the state’s Republicans. Marchand is smart enough to know that Gov. Kelly Ayotte isn’t going to join the Texas Midterm Two Step, but he still sees what he counts as an opportunity for Democrats.
“Can New Hampshire Democrats successfully goad the more undisciplined elements of the NHGOP… into public debates (on redistricting)?” Marchand wrote. “Can Democrats – or Republicans sick of a decade of being told to pump the brakes – make Ayotte uncomfortable?” (emphasis in original).
Uncomfortable?
Folks, this is New Hampshire, not North Dakota. We’re not in “Trump Country.” This is a purple state in the deepest-blue corner of the country. Every federal official is a Democrat, and from 1996 to 2014, Democrats went 9–1 in governors’ races.
Yet the best the once-mighty Democratic Party can hope for is to make the Republican governor “uncomfortable”?
And, as Marchand notes, even that modest goal is more a wish than a plan — one that relies on Republicans to achieve.
For months, pundits have puzzled over why State House Democrats embraced the wrong side of every 70–30 issue that came before them. Sanctuary cities, boys in girls’ sports, ending the hated auto inspection sticker regime — you name it. If the voters hated it, Democrats supported it. On the record.
Maybe their plan is to count on Donald Trump being such a midterm disaster next year that he hands them the reins of power. (Not an entirely bad plan, by the way.) But how does that advance the Democratic brand in New Hampshire? How does that create competitive candidates for state offices?
Since 2018, Democrats have struggled to produce a serious candidate for governor. They failed every time.
Molly Kelly, Dan Feltes, Tom Sherman, Joyce Craig — this isn’t a list of accomplished political athletes. It’s the lineup for the world’s worst game of Would You Rather.
And if you think that’s bad, look ahead to 2026. The Democrats don’t have a single gubernatorial candidate in waiting — not even a rumor of one. Things are so bleak there’s talk they might roll Jess Spiller onto the ballot for governor after she loses the Manchester mayor’s race this November.
Interesting note: however desperate Democrats get, one name never comes up in the speculation. “Top Dem” Karen Liot Hill.
The question isn’t whether Liot Hill’s low-rent graft is an impeachable offense. Of course it is. Her bogus campaign filings, mileage scams to bilk taxpayers, and hustling for Hillary Clinton’s old “Steele Dossier” law firm are more than enough to justify removing her from office.
The question is whether she’s worth the trouble. So what if she stays on the council? So what if the inept Democratic leadership in the State House stays in charge?
Impeach Karen Liot Hill? Here’s a more revealing question to ask: Who was the last New Hampshire Democrat worth impeaching?
