Dems: NH voters are not talking about Biden’s electability

Sen. David Watters, of Dover, joined other Democrats running for the Legislature Thursday in supporting President Joe Biden and calling Project 2025's conservative roadmap "extreme." Behind him are Sen. Donna Soucy, of Manchester, Rep. Luz Bay, of Dover, and Senate candidate Matt McLaughlin, of Bedford. (Annmarie Timmins | New Hampshire Bulletin)

A day after new UNH polling showed that nearly 60 percent of respondents think President Joe Biden should leave the race, three Democratic lawmakers said Thursday they have not heard that concern from a single constituent. They also discounted polls.

Sen. David Watters, of Dover, called them “noise,” while Senate Majority Leader Donna Soucy, of Manchester, said polls have always underestimated Biden.

“As we’re campaigning door to door right here in New Hampshire, I’m not hearing (concerns about electability) from voters,” Soucy said during a press conference at the state Democratic party headquarters in Concord. “What I’m hearing is voters are concerned about issues that affect them directly, like costs, like reproductive health care, and so many others, and they support the president.”

Wednesday’s poll results from the UNH Survey Center found otherwise. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said Biden should “definitely” drop out of the race, and 22 percent said he “probably” should. Thirty-one percent said he should continue to run.

Biden’s New Hampshire reelection team timed Thursday’s press conference to get ahead of former President Donald Trump’s scheduled address Thursday at the Republican National Convention. A few blocks away, Republican candidates held their own press conference.

Of the four Democrats who spoke Thursday, only Senate candidate Matt McLaughlin of Bedford said he has heard electability concerns from voters, but described them as momentary.

“When I’ve been knocking on doors and talking with people, there is some concern amongst people, but as soon as the conversation turns to Biden versus Trump…people recognize the stark choice between the two,” said McLaughlin. “And I’ve had some very positive comments from people who support Joe Biden over Donald Trump.”

At the Republican press conference, candidates called for Republicans and independents to rally around Trump.

“I would crawl across broken glass for that man,” said Chris Bright of Derry, who is challenging Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas. “To all of you independents out there that may have looked at the Republican Party over the last couple of years and thought you saw dysfunction, that is no more. We are unified. We have our act together. …You want a leader who is going to project strength, who is going to represent the American spirit.” 

At both events, candidates tried to keep the focus on Biden’s record. 

The Democrats contrasted the president’s priorities with Project 2025, a conservative roadmap that calls for the elimination of some federal agencies; stringent abortion bans; the use of the military to assist with arrests; cuts to Social Security; and the rejection of gender equality, reproductive rights, and environmental “extremism.”  

“Donald Trump and his MAGA allies’ extreme agenda will hurt Granite State families,” Watters said. “With Project 2025, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee and have a good strong cup of Joe.”

Republicans stayed away from Project 2025 Thursday, parts of which Trump has disavowed publicly, and focused on what they see as the failings of Biden’s presidency.

“We’re unifying the party because of what Joe Biden has done with our country, not in the last month, but in the last three years,” said Chuck Morse, the former Senate president running for governor. “We want the drugs to stop. We want the illegal immigrants to stop. We want to make sure that we’re drilling for energy and making America safe again. And more than anything, we want to create an economy by tax cuts, and make sure that we don’t have inflation what it is today.” 

Bulletin reporter Claire Sullivan contributed to this story.

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