Letter: Questions for the New Hampshire Democratic Party

Last November, for the fifth election in a row, New Hampshire’s two Congressional candidates and Sen. Hassan hired their own campaign managers, set their strategies and messages, raised their campaign funds and swept every office. In New Hampshire, for the fifth election in a row, Democrats lost the governor’s race and, with the one exception of 2018, did not win a majority in the Senate, House or Executive Council. 2024 was a disaster. Democrats lost two Senate seats and 22 House seats.

Yet, as the Feb. 8 filing deadline approaches for officer positions in the New Hampshire Democratic Party, no one has stepped up to challenge chair Ray Buckley as he runs for an unprecedented tenth term. I have a few questions. As any Democrat in the state can run for office, why hasn’t the Party broadly announced the election? As any Democrat can run for chair, why is the chair’s compensation a secret? Do officers supplement their income with consulting fees or payments from vendors? Who holds officers accountable for the Democrats’ poor state election record? Are the Party’s committees fully staffed and functioning? Is there effective coordination among the state, county and town committees, the House Democratic Caucus and the Senate Democratic Caucus? What are the New Hampshire Democrats’ year-round communications and fundraising plans? When will Party leaders adopt a mature approach to fair and sustainable taxes so Democrats can effectively challenge Republican tax giveaways?

Andru Volinsky

Concord