New Hampshire Republicans contend with the Trump Era

In an era of hyperpartisanship in which battle lines are proudly drawn to entrench both the red and the blue the idea of a robust purple faction might sound fanciful Purple states keep politics competitive and can reflect a dynamic voter base that votes for themselves rather than strictly for a party States like Arizona and Wisconsin may vote majority blue particular years or red in others but overall the state is something increasingly rare in American politics moderate Enter New Hampshire a state with only electoral votes and roughly million inhabitants Despite its size it s far from inconsequential It s the the bulk Republican state in liberal New England yet has an all-Democrat federal delegation contrasting with a statehouse dominated by conservatives The state usually votes blue when it comes to general elections but it s a close-run thing The same can be revealed for state-level elections New Hampshire s history of being moderate is as certain as the next electoral process isn t Related Cori Bush on midterms Woke isn t dead woke is fighting That may no longer be the occurrence as the state s Republicans must now contend with a rising tide from the MAGA movement within the state and political challengers approved by President Donald Trump Andrew Smith the director at the University of New Hampshire Survey Center says that Trump s conquest has led to moderates in the state laying low We re in a little bit of a Trumpian moment that has divided the state Smith described Salon MAGA candidates tried to win big in New Hampshire in where the majority of Republican voters help Trump While they failed on the federal level the state level became red with administrators who might not be pure MAGA but are willing to keep their voices down Smith thinks that the moderation within the state s Republican Party is all but gone since the right wing s electoral sweep last year something he calls a real shift in party politics We re in a little bit of a Trumpian moment that has divided the state The last stand of the never-Trumpers was in when they got behind Nicki Haley But the voters go for the winner Smith noted acknowledging Trump s political strengths in energizing voters leading to a spread favoring Kamala Harris in Even though it was a win for Harris it was a much slimmer margin for Democrats than in years past The more moderate voters are still here but the leadership within the Republican party is definitely Trumpian leadership That s where the money is and that s where the success is Smith stated That zone of money and success is one that Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte is keen to stay in office even as she threads the needle around parts of Trump s national agenda In October efforts from a state senator in New Hampshire to redistrict in favor of Republicans were put on indefinite hold Ayotte refused to consider redrawing the congressional maps noting that the state was in the middle of a census She also took credit for convincing the Department of Instruction to reverse its decision to withhold billion in funding designated for English language learner instruction college and career counseling STEM programs and educator training Start your day with essential news from Salon Sign up for our free morning newsletter Crash Subject At the same time she has championed her Commission on Authorities Efficiency COGE an offshoot of the Trump administration s recently-shuttered Department of Executive Efficiency better known as DOGE Ayotte also commented that the administration s retraction of million in federal masses physical condition funding was a decision she disagreed with but one she could understand Dante Scala a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire says Ayotte is trying to channel a New Hampshire-first approach to her office and dealing with Trump as little as achievable while finding common cause when needed A throwback to an earlier decade of Republican politics is how Scala described her to Salon She tends to her own backyard Scala says that New Hampshire voters are socially liberal and fiscally conservative leading Independent voters to outnumber both Democrats and Republicans in the state Live free or die New Hampshire voters as Scala put it New Hampshire Republicans are satisfied with Ayotte Scala revealed She s not their idea of a Republican presidential candidate but she is satisfactory especially when considering a Democratic alternative There may be a MAGA alternative Ayotte s redistricting refusal could create consequences for her an unnamed national Republican official explained Politico in September Shortly after news broke that Corey Lewandowski a Trump ally and de facto chief of staff for Homeland Prevention Secretary Kristi Noem was weighing a bid to run for Ayotte s position The news was met with mixed reactions Lewandowski tried to downplay the rumors while not ruling out a run Scala stated he is skeptical of Lewandowski s chances Smith stated Lewandowski is not particularly popular in the state referencing his prior forays into politics Kathleen Sullivan an attorney and the former chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party explained Salon she was confident that Ayotte was up to the challenge She d kick his ass Sullivan explained saying that Lewandoski running would be a good thing for Ayotte I don t think a lot of people like him Sullivan thinks Ayotte has enough sponsorship in the state to hold off a challenger for the time being Polls show that Ayotte s approval ratings have hovered between and with the most of latest putting it at It will be very absorbing to see how John Sununu can make the argument to his fellow Republicans that conservative doesn t necessarily mean Trump going forward Sullivan isn t caroling the governor s praises nor ruling out the success of a MAGA challenger If Kelly has problems there may be a chance she stated She s trying to walk the line but she is not navigating it very well It s not just the governorship that is in MAGA s crosshair there s also a Senate seat up for grabs Longtime Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen will be retiring in creating an opening for Republicans to add a conservative member to the federal delegation That will set up a fight between the moderate former New Hampshire Senator John E Sununu and the right-wing Scott Brown a former Senator from Massachusetts and Trump appointee To me you re more likely to see fireworks in the Senate primary not the governor s race Scala revealed It will be very captivating to see how John Sununu can make the argument to his fellow Republicans that conservative doesn t necessarily mean Trump going forward Sununu part of the powerful political family in New Hampshire has no love of the president notably penning a op-ed titled Donald Trump is a loser blaming him for loss after painful loss in the run-up to the general poll Brown who served as U S ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa Trump s first administration defended him on selecting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense In a July interview Brown reported he would appreciate an endorsement from Trump He s been kind of busy trying to get world peace Brown commented of Trump A statewide poll proved that Sununu has an early lead in favorability over Brown Smith commented Sununu could certainly win the primary saying that Brown is a carpetbagger from Massachusetts Elections are not about purity they re about the choices you have that are closest to your positions Smith announced He noted Sununu s record for supporting small cabinet and laissez-faire economics consistent with voters preference for an old Republican candidate Still Sununu and Ayotte may have no choice but to tow the party line After all around of Republicans approve of Trump We need your help to stay independent Subscribe currently to encouragement Salon s progressive journalism They re doing the Trump dance they don t want to be too close but they don t want to get too far away Smith stated Sullivan noted that Sununu cannot hide from Trump when speaking with the New Hampshire Bulletin in September As long as John E Sununu is a member of the Republican Party he s a Trumpist Sullivan mentioned Thomas Rath former attorney general of New Hampshire and a member of the RNC Rules Committee notes a real conflict in the state s Republicans needing to be moderate enough for voters while right-wing enough for MAGA At the moment I see their control as complete and absolute and not permitting of dissention Rath disclosed of MAGA In his mind being less far right but more toward the center is what wins elections for Republicans in his state Governing from the middle as he says New Hampshire Republicans are balancing the need to stay true to the state s classic idea of Republican politics while confronting the reach of Trumpism There s been particular success in not getting us overrun Rath noted It is unclear just how long that can last If Ayotte and Sununu continue to defy Trump even slightly they may face tougher challengers than Brown and Lewandowski New Hampshire likes it the way it is Rath explained It likes being feisty It likes a sense of unpredictability Read more about politics Why Mitch McConnell helped kill the hemp buzz RFK is in charge of flu season and trouble may be ahead Aftyn Behn s rise challenges Tennessee s GOP establishment The post New Hampshire Republicans contend with the Trump Era appeared first on Salon com