- Calendar
| Pre-Primary
Period « Candidate Forums « Sept. 7, 2019 New Hampshire
Democratic Party Convention
New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention
Saturday, September 7, 2019 at SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH.
19 CANDIDATES: Bennet, Biden, Booker, Bullock, Buttigieg, Castro, de Blasio, Delaney, Gabbard, Harris, Klobuchar, O'Rourke, Ryan, Sanders, Sestak, Steyer, Warren, Williamson and Yang (all major candidates, not Messam).
Background: This was the first big multi-candidate event in New Hampshire. One thousand two hundred and twenty seven (1,227) delegates attended and thousands of guests filled many of the seats in the arena. Campaigns bought many of the guest tickets, which were available for $20 and $35; tickets were not available for purchase at the door on the day of the convention. Campaign staffers arrived early in the morning to set up, and there was a vigorous sign war outside the arena before the convention. Candidates, local parties and interest groups provided information at tables inside the arena.
Candidates had 7-10 minutes to speak and appeared in roughly alphabetical order with a few exceptions. Interspersed between the presidential candates were New Hampshire and national Democratic officials, candidates and allies. Speakers included DNC chairmain Tom Perez and several other DNC officials, all members of the state's congressional delegation, as well as AFT President Randi Weingarten. Two candidates seeking to spoke Gov. Chris Sununu (R) spoke, and delegates waved red "Veto Sununu" signs at several points. The more resourced presidential campaigns distributed signs among the delegates before their speeches. Attendees cheered applause lines of all of the candidates, so it was sort of like a pep rally. Nonetheless Elizabeth Warren showed the strongest support, both in the numbers of her supporters outside and in the lengthy and loud greeting accorded to her when she came out on the stage.
Per the NHDP Constitution, the following individuals are considered delegates to 2019 Midterm State Convention:
- Members of the NHDP State Committee;
- The Party’s most recent nominees (2018 general election) for the Executive Council, State Senate, State House, and County Offices;
- Local Committee Officers (town, city, ward and county Chairs, Vice Chairs, Secretaries, and Treasurers);
- Local Delegates elected prior to the State Convention according to New Hampshire law and the Constitution of the New Hampshire Democratic Party (local at-large delegates elected at town, city, ward and county caucuses);
- The elected President of each College Democrats of New Hampshire campus chapter at the time of the State Party Convention.
Bennet for America
September 7, 2019
Michael Bennet, Introduced by Gary Hart at NHDP, Calls on Country to Build a New American Dream
MANCHESTER, NH — Michael Bennet made clear Democrats face a choice about the future of the party and the country in his speech at today’s New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention.
Bennet was introduced by former Colorado U.S. Senator Gary Hart, who endorsed Bennet earlier today. Hart won an insurgent victory in the Granite State during the 1984 Democratic presidential primary.
“Michael Bennet has the intelligence, experience, and judgment to put our nation back on the track at home and abroad,” said Hart. “He has more than his share of intellectual resources and a lifetime of public service. Michael Bennet is the soul of integrity and will restore dignity and respect so badly lacking in the White House today and restore our nation’s honor in the world.
“A number of years ago, the voters of this state provided an opportunity for a young Colorado Senator to build a national campaign. You have the chance now to do it again.”
Bennet, who has won two Senate campaigns in a purple state, called on Democrats to “build a broad coalition of Americans to secure our future and save our democracy” with a forward-looking agenda capable of winning back the nine million voters who supported Barack Obama twice and then voted for Donald Trump.
“Democrats...face a choice,” said Bennet. “A choice about the direction of our Party and our commitment to winning a majority to define the future of our country. A choice between galvanizing Twitter in the short-term, or serving our real base in the long-run — teachers, nurses, students, firefighters, and working people who need Democrats to do more than just beat Donald Trump. When most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, who need us to ensure their hard work leads to better lives for their families.
“I know something about winning a purple state…it is tough. But if you have an agenda that unites people, you can do it, and we can do it.”
Watch the full remarks here.
###
###
Pete
for America
September 7, 2019
But as the mayor of a city, once called dying and now growing, I also know what will happen when people come together. Our city's future change when we mobilized around shared values and focused on delivering real results for real people, pragmatic and values driven leadership -- it's what mayors practice every day, and we need a lot more of that in Washington right now.
Because for too long in Washington, we have accepted the unacceptable, and now there's a noise machine making it almost impossible to hear the alarm bells ringing in our everyday lives. Americans are looking at prescription drug prices and wondering how they're going to be able to buy groceries, and the president has got us arguing over whether to buy Greenland. Americans are picking up their possessions to flee a superstorm, and the president is picking up his Sharpie to redraw a weather map. How did we get here? Politics is supposed to be about making our everyday lives better, but nothing could be further from the top of the president's list. [...]
And it's not just that the policies are all wrong, it's that they are pitting us against each other, especially in Washington, bringing out the worst in us.
They speak of patriotism, but surely patriotism lies in defending our beliefs as well as our country -- not shouting down those who dissent and telling them to go back to where they came from. Because the flag that was on my shoulder when I stepped off that airplane that took me to Afghanistan was not a Republican flag, it was an American flag symbolizing our responsibility to speak up when our leaders do wrong -- that is an act of loyalty to the republic for which it stands.
They speak of freedom; surely freedom includes the freedom to organize for good wages, freedom to control your own body, freedom to choose your own spouse, and freedom from racial discrimination -- that's freedom too.
They speak of these values, they speak of faith and family, but what faith, what family values, would condone families being torn apart at the border? Surely faith and family has something to do with feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger, and lifting up the least among us. [...]
The answer to Donald Trump is not playing his game or going on his show. It is a laser focus on improving everyday lives and doing it in the name of shared values that light the way to a better future -- the kind of boldness that will bring us together, not tear us apart. That is the way forward. We need ideas big enough to meet this moment, but it's not enough to think up good policy -- we've got to unify Americans around these solutions, or nothing will actually get done. [...]
The purpose of the presidency is not the glorification of the president, it is the unification of the people -- pulling us together in common purpose to tackle our greatest challenges. And if we get that done, then the future doesn't have to be a dark place. I can't wait for a future where we look back with pride on the choices that we made in 2020.
Read the full transcript of his remarks below:
Thank you. Thank you. Alright, thank you. Thank you. Hello New Hampshire Democrats. Thank you so much. Thank you New Hampshire. Thank you. You're making me feel right at home. Thank you. And thank you to Ray Buckley and the New Hampshire Democratic Party team for everything that you are doing. Thank you, Joyce Craig, I am with the people of Manchester -- my choice is Joyce. And thank you, New Hampshire, for giving us the pathbreaking delegation of Senator Shaheen, Senator Hassan, Chris Pappas, and Congresswoman Annie Kuster. We need more like them in Washington. My name is Pete Buttigieg, most people just call me Mayor Pete, and I am running for president-- I am running for president because I think America might be running out of time. So much depends on us right now, for a new generation, not just mine, but one younger still, not even old enough to vote, trusting us with their lives. The 13 year old who asked me at an event, with tears streaming down his face, what we're going to do to keep his school safe because he fears for his life every time he sits down in class. The 12 year old girl in Orlando who asked me about health insurance, not because she's a policy buff, but because she's got type 1 diabetes and she is worried about what will happen if her parents lose their coverage. She's 12, and this is what she's thinking about. And the only fair answer to kids, is that they shouldn't be dealing with this at all. We, all of us old enough to vote, should sort that out so they don't have to. That's what we owe to them so they can focus on being kid. And a few years from now, by the time they're adults, there could be 100 million more guns on the streets, we will cross the point of no return on climate, and a woman's right to choose won't even exist. Or, we can act. Not four years from now, not 10 years from now, but right now we can act. And it's not just kids -- none of us can afford to ignore the problems that we have tolerated for far too long, because they amount to a crisis that has destabilized our entire country -- a crisis that represents the only plausible answer to how a guy like the current president ever got within cheating distance of the Oval Office in the first place. That doesn't happen unless something is already wrong. It's been brewing for a long time. We felt it where I grew up, in the so-called Rust Belt. I've seen how politics affects everyday life. I've seen the face of my city changed by deindustrialization, the course of my life altered by the orders that sent me to a foreign war, even my marriage exists just by the grace of a single vote on the United States Supreme Court -- and thank you for everybody who helped bring that equality to this land. But as the mayor of a city, once called dying and now growing, I also know what will happen when people come together. Our city's future change when we mobilized around shared values and focused on delivering real results for real people, pragmatic and values driven leadership -- it's what mayors practice every day, and we need a lot more of that in Washington right now. Because for too long in Washington, we have accepted the unacceptable, and now there's a noise machine making it almost impossible to hear the alarm bells ringing in our everyday lives. Americans are looking at prescription drug prices and wondering how they're going to be able to buy groceries, and the president has got us arguing over whether to buy Greenland. Americans are picking up their possessions to flee a superstorm, and the president is picking up his Sharpie to redraw a weather map. How did we get here? Politics is supposed to be about making our everyday lives better, but nothing could be further from the top of the president's list -- or come to think of it, the governor's; speaking of pens, let's talk about that veto pen. Because your legislature is doing extraordinary work responding to the needs of the everyday, but when people need to get paid more, plain and simple, the governor is vetoing a minimum wage law -- that is wrong. Parents want to spend more with their kids and the governor proudly, proudly, vetoes a paid family leave bill -- that is wrong. The good news is, voters have veto power too, and you get to veto this governor and get something better. And it's not just that the policies are all wrong, it's that they are pitting us against each other, especially in Washington, bringing out the worst in us. They speak of patriotism, but surely patriotism lies in defending our beliefs as well as our country -- not shouting down those who dissent and telling them to go back to where they came from. Because the flag that was on my shoulder when I stepped off that airplane that took me to Afghanistan was not a Republican flag, it was an American flag symbolizing our responsibility to speak up when our leaders do wrong -- that is an act of loyalty to the republic for which it stands. They speak of freedom; surely freedom includes the freedom to organize for good wages, freedom to control your own body, freedom to choose your own spouse, and freedom from racial discrimination -- that's freedom too. They speak of these values, they speak of faith and family, but what faith, what family values, would condone families being torn apart at the border? Surely faith and family has something to do with feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger, and lifting up the least among us. Those are our values. So today, I'm here to offer a clear choice and a clear message. The answer to Donald Trump is not playing his game or going on his show. It is a laser focus on improving everyday lives and doing it in the name of shared values that light the way to a better future -- the kind of boldness that will bring us together, not tear us apart. That is the way forward. We need ideas big enough to meet this moment, but it's not enough to think up good policy -- we've got to unify Americans around these solutions, or nothing will actually get done. That's why my health care vision is Medicare for All Who Want it; let every American have the choice to walk away from the corporate, private plans and towards something better -- but when they're ready, because I trust Americans to make that right choice. And yes, health care means mental health care too, and we will unify to save a million lives when it comes to deaths from despair. As your president, I will match the ambition of the Marshall Plan with a Douglass Plan for Black America, to attack systemic racism in every form in this nation. I'll create a million paid national service opportunities a year, so that everyone can have the solidarity that I got in the military without having to go to war in order to get there. We are a nation ready to serve. I will appoint women to the judiciary and the highest levels of this administration; and speaking of appointments, I will appoint a Secretary of Education who actually believes in public education; it's time. And while we're at it, an Environmental Protection Agency head who actually believes in climate change, so that we can unify the American people around solving that problem before it is too late. The purpose of the presidency is not the glorification of the president, it is the unification of the people -- pulling us together in common purpose to tackle our greatest challenges. And if we get that done, then the future doesn't have to be a dark place. I can't wait for a future where we look back with pride on the choices that we made in 2020. I can't wait to tell my future children about what we did to set them up for success -- to tell them that in 2020, we created an economy where a rising tide really does lift all boats; that once upon a time, it was the case that children were learning active shooter drills before they learned to read, but we summoned the courage to get weapons of war out of American neighborhoods; that we beat the odds and got ahead of climate change before it ruined the opportunities in their lives; and delivered a society where your race has no bearing on your health, or your wealth, or your relationship with law enforcement -- we will be so proud. Running for office is an act of hope that we can get this done, not the hope of the naive, but the hope of those who know we can't afford to go back. So New Hampshire, are you ready to spread the sense of hope required to deliver a new and better future? Are you ready to break from the past and bring a better era to American life? Are you ready to put away the reality show in Washington and the channel to a new future for the American people? Then with hope in our hearts and fire in our bellies, let's go forward all the way to the White House and beyond. Thank you for New Hampshire, and I will see you on the campaign trail. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
September 7, 2019
VIDEO: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Speaks at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention
Key ExcerptsBut as the mayor of a city, once called dying and now growing, I also know what will happen when people come together. Our city's future change when we mobilized around shared values and focused on delivering real results for real people, pragmatic and values driven leadership -- it's what mayors practice every day, and we need a lot more of that in Washington right now.
Because for too long in Washington, we have accepted the unacceptable, and now there's a noise machine making it almost impossible to hear the alarm bells ringing in our everyday lives. Americans are looking at prescription drug prices and wondering how they're going to be able to buy groceries, and the president has got us arguing over whether to buy Greenland. Americans are picking up their possessions to flee a superstorm, and the president is picking up his Sharpie to redraw a weather map. How did we get here? Politics is supposed to be about making our everyday lives better, but nothing could be further from the top of the president's list. [...]
And it's not just that the policies are all wrong, it's that they are pitting us against each other, especially in Washington, bringing out the worst in us.
They speak of patriotism, but surely patriotism lies in defending our beliefs as well as our country -- not shouting down those who dissent and telling them to go back to where they came from. Because the flag that was on my shoulder when I stepped off that airplane that took me to Afghanistan was not a Republican flag, it was an American flag symbolizing our responsibility to speak up when our leaders do wrong -- that is an act of loyalty to the republic for which it stands.
They speak of freedom; surely freedom includes the freedom to organize for good wages, freedom to control your own body, freedom to choose your own spouse, and freedom from racial discrimination -- that's freedom too.
They speak of these values, they speak of faith and family, but what faith, what family values, would condone families being torn apart at the border? Surely faith and family has something to do with feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger, and lifting up the least among us. [...]
The answer to Donald Trump is not playing his game or going on his show. It is a laser focus on improving everyday lives and doing it in the name of shared values that light the way to a better future -- the kind of boldness that will bring us together, not tear us apart. That is the way forward. We need ideas big enough to meet this moment, but it's not enough to think up good policy -- we've got to unify Americans around these solutions, or nothing will actually get done. [...]
The purpose of the presidency is not the glorification of the president, it is the unification of the people -- pulling us together in common purpose to tackle our greatest challenges. And if we get that done, then the future doesn't have to be a dark place. I can't wait for a future where we look back with pride on the choices that we made in 2020.
Read the full transcript of his remarks below:
Thank you. Thank you. Alright, thank you. Thank you. Hello New Hampshire Democrats. Thank you so much. Thank you New Hampshire. Thank you. You're making me feel right at home. Thank you. And thank you to Ray Buckley and the New Hampshire Democratic Party team for everything that you are doing. Thank you, Joyce Craig, I am with the people of Manchester -- my choice is Joyce. And thank you, New Hampshire, for giving us the pathbreaking delegation of Senator Shaheen, Senator Hassan, Chris Pappas, and Congresswoman Annie Kuster. We need more like them in Washington. My name is Pete Buttigieg, most people just call me Mayor Pete, and I am running for president-- I am running for president because I think America might be running out of time. So much depends on us right now, for a new generation, not just mine, but one younger still, not even old enough to vote, trusting us with their lives. The 13 year old who asked me at an event, with tears streaming down his face, what we're going to do to keep his school safe because he fears for his life every time he sits down in class. The 12 year old girl in Orlando who asked me about health insurance, not because she's a policy buff, but because she's got type 1 diabetes and she is worried about what will happen if her parents lose their coverage. She's 12, and this is what she's thinking about. And the only fair answer to kids, is that they shouldn't be dealing with this at all. We, all of us old enough to vote, should sort that out so they don't have to. That's what we owe to them so they can focus on being kid. And a few years from now, by the time they're adults, there could be 100 million more guns on the streets, we will cross the point of no return on climate, and a woman's right to choose won't even exist. Or, we can act. Not four years from now, not 10 years from now, but right now we can act. And it's not just kids -- none of us can afford to ignore the problems that we have tolerated for far too long, because they amount to a crisis that has destabilized our entire country -- a crisis that represents the only plausible answer to how a guy like the current president ever got within cheating distance of the Oval Office in the first place. That doesn't happen unless something is already wrong. It's been brewing for a long time. We felt it where I grew up, in the so-called Rust Belt. I've seen how politics affects everyday life. I've seen the face of my city changed by deindustrialization, the course of my life altered by the orders that sent me to a foreign war, even my marriage exists just by the grace of a single vote on the United States Supreme Court -- and thank you for everybody who helped bring that equality to this land. But as the mayor of a city, once called dying and now growing, I also know what will happen when people come together. Our city's future change when we mobilized around shared values and focused on delivering real results for real people, pragmatic and values driven leadership -- it's what mayors practice every day, and we need a lot more of that in Washington right now. Because for too long in Washington, we have accepted the unacceptable, and now there's a noise machine making it almost impossible to hear the alarm bells ringing in our everyday lives. Americans are looking at prescription drug prices and wondering how they're going to be able to buy groceries, and the president has got us arguing over whether to buy Greenland. Americans are picking up their possessions to flee a superstorm, and the president is picking up his Sharpie to redraw a weather map. How did we get here? Politics is supposed to be about making our everyday lives better, but nothing could be further from the top of the president's list -- or come to think of it, the governor's; speaking of pens, let's talk about that veto pen. Because your legislature is doing extraordinary work responding to the needs of the everyday, but when people need to get paid more, plain and simple, the governor is vetoing a minimum wage law -- that is wrong. Parents want to spend more with their kids and the governor proudly, proudly, vetoes a paid family leave bill -- that is wrong. The good news is, voters have veto power too, and you get to veto this governor and get something better. And it's not just that the policies are all wrong, it's that they are pitting us against each other, especially in Washington, bringing out the worst in us. They speak of patriotism, but surely patriotism lies in defending our beliefs as well as our country -- not shouting down those who dissent and telling them to go back to where they came from. Because the flag that was on my shoulder when I stepped off that airplane that took me to Afghanistan was not a Republican flag, it was an American flag symbolizing our responsibility to speak up when our leaders do wrong -- that is an act of loyalty to the republic for which it stands. They speak of freedom; surely freedom includes the freedom to organize for good wages, freedom to control your own body, freedom to choose your own spouse, and freedom from racial discrimination -- that's freedom too. They speak of these values, they speak of faith and family, but what faith, what family values, would condone families being torn apart at the border? Surely faith and family has something to do with feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger, and lifting up the least among us. Those are our values. So today, I'm here to offer a clear choice and a clear message. The answer to Donald Trump is not playing his game or going on his show. It is a laser focus on improving everyday lives and doing it in the name of shared values that light the way to a better future -- the kind of boldness that will bring us together, not tear us apart. That is the way forward. We need ideas big enough to meet this moment, but it's not enough to think up good policy -- we've got to unify Americans around these solutions, or nothing will actually get done. That's why my health care vision is Medicare for All Who Want it; let every American have the choice to walk away from the corporate, private plans and towards something better -- but when they're ready, because I trust Americans to make that right choice. And yes, health care means mental health care too, and we will unify to save a million lives when it comes to deaths from despair. As your president, I will match the ambition of the Marshall Plan with a Douglass Plan for Black America, to attack systemic racism in every form in this nation. I'll create a million paid national service opportunities a year, so that everyone can have the solidarity that I got in the military without having to go to war in order to get there. We are a nation ready to serve. I will appoint women to the judiciary and the highest levels of this administration; and speaking of appointments, I will appoint a Secretary of Education who actually believes in public education; it's time. And while we're at it, an Environmental Protection Agency head who actually believes in climate change, so that we can unify the American people around solving that problem before it is too late. The purpose of the presidency is not the glorification of the president, it is the unification of the people -- pulling us together in common purpose to tackle our greatest challenges. And if we get that done, then the future doesn't have to be a dark place. I can't wait for a future where we look back with pride on the choices that we made in 2020. I can't wait to tell my future children about what we did to set them up for success -- to tell them that in 2020, we created an economy where a rising tide really does lift all boats; that once upon a time, it was the case that children were learning active shooter drills before they learned to read, but we summoned the courage to get weapons of war out of American neighborhoods; that we beat the odds and got ahead of climate change before it ruined the opportunities in their lives; and delivered a society where your race has no bearing on your health, or your wealth, or your relationship with law enforcement -- we will be so proud. Running for office is an act of hope that we can get this done, not the hope of the naive, but the hope of those who know we can't afford to go back. So New Hampshire, are you ready to spread the sense of hope required to deliver a new and better future? Are you ready to break from the past and bring a better era to American life? Are you ready to put away the reality show in Washington and the channel to a new future for the American people? Then with hope in our hearts and fire in our bellies, let's go forward all the way to the White House and beyond. Thank you for New Hampshire, and I will see you on the campaign trail. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Amy for America
September 7, 2019
Klobuchar Speaks at New Hampshire Democratic Convention: “I am Tired of a Whiner in the White House”
MANCHESTER, NH — Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar shared her optimistic economic and justice agenda with more than 1,200 delegates at the New Hampshire Democratic Convention in Manchester. Senator Klobuchar criticized President Trump for governing from chaos — engaging in vanity trade wars, alienating our allies, coddling dictators — and called for unifying the country to win big in 2020.“As the Ojibwe say, great leaders make decisions not only for this generation, but for seven generations from now. Democrats, we have a president that can't even keep his decision seven minutes from now,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar. “Someone who gloats about the economy and then when things go wrong, try to blame everyone from the head of the Federal Reserve, to the city of Baltimore—truly, Barack Obama, and guess what? The entire country of Denmark. That's hard to do! I, for one, am tired of a whiner in the White House.
“At a time when Donald Trump wakes up every morning trying to divide us, using immigrants as political pawns, belittling people who don't agree with him, destroying our democracy with dark money and voter suppression, and allowing a foreign country to make mincemeat of our democracy, we need a candidate for president who understands that what unites us as a country is greater than what divides us, that has a track record of winning Democrats and Independents and moderate Republicans in every place, in every race, every time. New Hampshire Democrats, I don't want to be the president for half of America, I want to be the president for all of America.”
Watch Senator Klobuchar’s Full Remarks Here:
Read Senator Klobuchar’s Full Remarks Here:
It is so great to be back with all of you in a state that I love with a Democratic Party that knows how to win. You proved it in 2018 when you turned the New Hampshire legislature blue and won big with Annie and Chris and helped us turn the United States House of Representatives back into the people's house.
You know, my State of Minnesota and New Hampshire have a few things in common. We both love sweaters. We both love our lakes and our forests. We both have voters who have been ahead of their time when it comes to electing not one, but two women to the United States Senate. Thank you for giving us my two good friends, Jeannie and Maggie and I know thanks to you and the strength of Jeanne Shaheen, Corey Lewandowski will never sit behind a desk in the United States Senate.
But the similarities don't stop there. We both have states with interesting and particular geographic names. And yes, I can say Winnipesaukee, Concord, and Berlin. New Hampshire has the longest candy counter in the world. I saw it in Littleton, and Minnesota has the largest ball of twine. You have the wonderful Seacoast Science Center that I visited last week, and we have the only museum devoted entirely to Spam or as or as we call it, the Guggen-ham. But we share something else, which is what I want to start with today. And that is the strong culture of independent voters. It is strong. And if you don't believe me about Minnesota, I have three words for you: Governor Jesse Ventura.
Friends, nationally, just as you did in electing Jeannie and Maggie and your congressional members, we need to bring these voters with us in 2020. Because as Democrats in this presidential race, we don't just want to win. We want to win big. We have to win the presidency, yes, but to do the big things that we need to do when it comes to climate and healthcare and gun safety, we also need to win the US Senate and send Mitch McConnell packing. At a time when Donald Trump wakes up every morning trying to divide us, using immigrants as political pawns, belittling people who don't agree with him, destroying our democracy with dark money and voter suppression, and allowing a foreign country to make mincemeat of our democracy, we need a candidate for president who understands that what unites us as a country is greater than what divides us, that has a track record of winning Democrats and Independents and moderate Republicans in every place, in every race, every time. New Hampshire Democrats, I don't want to be the president for half of America. I want to be the president for all of America.
We can ignite our Democrats to vote like never before and bring back those Independent voters. And yes, even some moderate Republicans across this nation with an optimistic economic and justice agenda for this country. One that says “No, Mr. President, there aren’t two sides after Charlottesville,” when one side is the Ku Klux Klan. There is only one side and that is the American side. That is it, that is all. One that says we are not going to tolerate a government where tax cuts go to the wealthy and the middle class is left picking up the crumbs. That's because we believe that if millionaires can refinance their yachts, students should be able to refinance their student loans and afford college. We believe that big pharma and big oil and the NRA don't own Washington. Not with all their lobbyists they don't. The citizens of this country own Washington. We, as America, believe in science and in facing the existential threat of our time— the climate crisis. That's why on day one as president, I will sign us back into that International Climate Change Agreement. And on day two, I will bring back those clean power rules. On day three, I will bring back to the gas mileage standards, and you don't need Congress to do it. And on day four, five and six, I will introduce sweeping legislation to bring down greenhouse gases and solve this climate crisis. And on day seven, on day seven, you're supposed to rest, but I don't think I will.
You know what else we believe in America, New Hampshire Democrats? We believe in a country where the extraordinary courage of ordinary people like that mom that shielded her baby in El Paso, like those police officers that showed up in one minute in Dayton. We believe that the courage of those ordinary people must be matched in a place of extraordinary power and that is Washington, DC. When I am president, we will pass the assault weapons ban. We will. And the magazine limitations. And next week, when we get back to Washington, we will call out Mitch McConnell to get those votes and background checks and on my bill to close the boyfriend loophole.
And here's something else. As one America, we believe that instead of engaging in vanity trade wars, and adding debt, and giving tax breaks to big oil, and alienating our allies, and coddling dictators, we should be a country that makes things and invent things and exports to the world. A country that promotes and unleashes both ideas that lead to shared economic prosperity and ideals as the world's beacon of democracy that other countries can look up to. Because, as the Ojibwe say, great leaders make decisions not only for this generation, but for seven generations from now. Democrats, we have a president that can't even keep his decision seven minutes from now. Someone who gloats about the economy and then when things go wrong, try to blame everyone from the head of the Federal Reserve, to the city of Baltimore—truly, Barack Obama, and guess what? The entire country of Denmark. I, for one— that's hard to do! I, for one, am tired of a whiner in the White House.
Donald Trump's idea of diplomacy is waking up before the sun comes up and sending out a tweet in his bathrobe, extolling the virtues of Kim Jong Un and then before the sun goes down, going after Denmark and Greenland. As I said a few weeks ago, what's the difference between Donald Trump and Greenland? Greenland is not for sale. And as your president, Democrats, I will pledge that I will never have my vice president stay in a resort I own. Oh, that's right. I don't own a resort.
Contrast this: New Hampshire, it's a place that has led. You have led with a brave history of military service and diplomacy. You are the home of Bretton Woods. You lead with great colleges and teachers and an understanding that we talked about yesterday at Manchester Community College, that in America, there are many paths to success. You believe that democracy matters, a state of beautiful covered bridges that believes, like I do, in bridging the river of our divides. That's why I announced my candidacy in the middle of that blizzard, in the middle of an island, in the middle of the Mississippi River. Let's bridge the river of our divides when it comes to rural and urban by acknowledging that both rural and urban areas need better housing and need better health care, need mental health help, need opioid treatment.
Let's do this together. Let's bridge our digital divide. As president, I will connect every household to high speed internet by 2022. I figure if they did it in Iceland, they can do it in New Hampshire. Let's close the transportation divide by investing in infrastructure and yes, getting commuter rail to Manchester and beyond. Let's close that democracy divide by taking on discrimination, restoring the Voting Rights Act, and passing a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. And let’s, Democrats, close the opportunity and economic divide by getting rid of Betsy DeVos and enacting my proposal to end child poverty in a generation.
I stand before you today as a granddaughter of an iron ore miner, as a daughter of a union teacher and a newspaperman, as the first woman elected to the US Senate from the state of Minnesota and a candidate for president of the United States. That is what this country is about, that no matter where you come from or who you know, or who you love that you can make it in the United States of America. New Hampshire Democrats, we are on a march together that started the day after the inauguration. The day after that 6000 women signed up to run for office. On day one hundred, we had the March for Science. “What do we want? Science! When do we want it? After peer review!” We stood up against their repeal of the Affordable Care Act and now we head into 2020. You are the welders that have shortened that arc, that have made that march. You have risen up to take up the mantle of our democracy. This is how we win. I ask for your support. We will lead this ticket to victory. Thank you!
###
Beto for America
September 7, 2019
At NH Democratic Convention, Beto Shares Vision for an America
Defined by its Aspirations
Following
the
lead
of advocates and reformers, Beto is the only 2020 presidential
candidate with a plan that calls for a mandatory buyback of assault
weapons
MANCHESTER,
N.H.-Earlier
today, at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention, Beto
passionately shared his vision for an America defined not by fear and
hatred, but by its aspirations and the resolve of its people to unite
to see them realized.
WATCH BETO’S FULL REMARKS HERE
“This is a country that has produced the leadership that will ensure that we not only have universal background checks, red flag laws, and end the sale of those weapons of war, but that we go the necessary steps further﹣as politically difficult as they may be,” said Beto. “A gun registry in this country, licensing for every American who owns a firearm, and every single one of those AR-15s and AK-47s will be bought back so they are not on our streets, not in our homes, and do not take the lives of our fellow Americans.”
As he did today in New Hampshire, Beto will continue speaking difficult truths, leading with honesty, and advocating for immediate action to end the culture of hate and violence in our country.
###
Warren for President
September 7, 2019
Warren Remarks at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention
Manchester, NH - Elizabeth Warren spoke today at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention. Today marks her 16th visit to the Granite State since January.Below are her remarks:
Hello New Hampshire Democrats!
Thank you. This means the world to me.
So I never thought I would get into politics, but the first lesson I learned is no one does this on their own. So thank you to every volunteer, every organizer, every door knocker, every phone banker, every five dollar donor, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is how we build a movement.
And thank you to our Chair Ray Buckley who makes it happen every day. And my great partners in the United States Senate, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen. Go Jeanne.
So I grew up out in Oklahoma in a paycheck-to-paycheck family. I've had the same dream since I was in second grade. I wanted to be a public school teacher. There it is. My path was a little bumpy, my family didn't have any money, I dropped out of school at 19 and got married. But my big chance was what was then a commuter college that was about 45 minutes away and cost 50 dollars a semester. I held on for dear life. I've lived my dream job, I've been a special needs teacher.
And for anyone here who doesn't really know teachers, let me tell you two things about us. And that is we aren't afraid and we never give up.
So here's the fight we are in right now. We need to win in 2020 – anybody in here want to win in 2020?
So let's talk about how it's done. Part one, we need to talk honestly about what is broken in America. We have a country that is working great for the wealthy and leaving everybody else behind. We have a country where our economy, our democracy, our government are working for those with money and not so much for anyone else. When you see a government that works for the rich and not for anyone else, that is corruption pure and simple and we need to call it out for what it is: corruption.
Pick any issue: tax breaks that favor the rich, environmental regulations that favor polluters, racial wealth gap that holds back families, and the list goes on. Child care, housing, guns, health care. Whatever decision gets you up in the morning, whatever issue brings you into the fight, here's what I guarantee: if there's a decision to be made in Washington, it's been influenced by money. It's been shaped by money. It's been decided by money. So here's what we have to do. We start by calling out, honestly, what is broken, the corruption in the system. And then we show we've got plans to fix it.
You know, here's my view: you really want to change something, then you better have a plan to get it done. And here's what I want to change, I want an economy that doesn't just work for those at the top. That means we need more power in the hands of workers. Make it easier to join a union and give unions more power when they negotiate.
Unions built America's middle class, and unions will rebuild America's middle class.
And there's another way we can make this economy work for everyone. It's time for a wealth tax in America.
[Crowd chants: Two cents!]
Two cents. You got it.
So, so here's how it works. Your first 50 million dollars free and clear. Whew, said some of you.
But your 50 millionth and first dollar, you’ve gotta pitch in two cents and two cents for every dollar after that. Two cents!
This hits the top one-tenth of 1% of great fortunes in this country. And what can we do with two cents? We can do universal child care for every baby in this country age zero to five – two cents! Universal pre-K for every three year old and four year old in this country – two cents! Raise the wages of every child care worker and preschool teacher in this country – two cents! We can do all of that, and we can make technical school, community college, and four-year college free for everyone who wants an education – two cents!
And we can be real about leveling the playing field. We can put $50 billion into our Historically Black Colleges and Universities – two cents. And just one more I'll mention. We can do all of that and cancel student loan debt for 95 percent of the folks who got it – two cents. Two cents.
So, there it is. We talk about what's broken, and we show our plans to make real change. Plans that touch people's lives. And third, we build a movement to make it happen all across this country.
Now, you know me and you know the kind of campaign I'm running. I don't go behind closed doors to fancy fundraisers with corporate CEOs and millionaires. Instead, I spend time with you. Isn't that right? So far, 26 states and Puerto Rico, 129 town halls, thousands of unfiltered questions, and the real measure of democracy – more than 50,000 selfies. There it is.
You know, I get it that in America, there are gonna be people who are richer and people who are not so rich. And the rich are gonna own more shoes and they're gonna own more cars and they may even own more houses. But they shouldn't own more of our democracy.
And that's what this movement is all about. That's what this movement is all about. Since January, we've gotten more than a million contributions to this campaign. We’re building a grassroots movement.
And here’s the key. It’s a grassroots movement not just so we can win at the top, but grassroots movement so we win up and down the ticket, Jeanne Shaheen I’m looking at you.
And one more. A movement that says let’s get rid of Governor Veto. C’mon!
I get it. I get it. There is a lot at stake and people are scared. But we can’t choose a candidate we don’t believe in because we’re scared.
And we can’t ask other people to vote for someone we don’t believe in. We win when we call out what is broken, when we show how to fix it, and when we build a grassroots movement to get it done.
[Crowd chants: Win with Warren!]
I am not afraid and for Democrats to win, you can’t be afraid either. This is our moment in history. This is our moment to dream big and fight hard. Thank you.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 21, 2019
Contact: Sarah Guggenheimer
SAVE THE DATE! NH Democratic Party Announces Initial State Convention Details
Concord, N.H. - Today,
the New Hampshire Democratic
Party announced initial details for its upcoming state Democratic
convention.
The convention will be held on Saturday, September 7 at the Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Party anticipates that all Democratic presidential candidates will attend, as well as other national leaders, and candidates up and down the Granite State ticket.
"How can I even express how excited I am about this opportunity to hear the Democratic presidential candidates discuss their plans to fight for an economy that creates jobs and raises wages for working Granite State families?" said Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "Mark your calendars. You absolutely won't want to miss it!"
Every four years NH Democrats host the presidential candidates at their state convention, a tradition starting back in 1983. The 2019 event is on track to be the largest event thus far.
Additional details will be released in the coming months, including ticketing information for members of the public and instructions for requesting media credentials.
The convention will be held on Saturday, September 7 at the Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Party anticipates that all Democratic presidential candidates will attend, as well as other national leaders, and candidates up and down the Granite State ticket.
"How can I even express how excited I am about this opportunity to hear the Democratic presidential candidates discuss their plans to fight for an economy that creates jobs and raises wages for working Granite State families?" said Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "Mark your calendars. You absolutely won't want to miss it!"
Every four years NH Democrats host the presidential candidates at their state convention, a tradition starting back in 1983. The 2019 event is on track to be the largest event thus far.
Additional details will be released in the coming months, including ticketing information for members of the public and instructions for requesting media credentials.
###