Trump kicks off New Hampshire campaign, and RNC state chair elected to lead NH GOP

Jan. 28—SALEM — With a standing ovation from Republican leaders, legislators and statewide delegates, former President Donald Trump announced the start of his 2024 presidential campaign in New Hampshire, with outgoing state GOP chair Steve Stepanek as senior adviser.

"In 2024, we stop the communists. We stop the Marxists. If we don't stop them, that's going to be the end," Trump said in a speech outlining a redoubled "Make America Great Again" agenda, including closing the border, safeguarding election integrity and preserving New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation Republican primary.

He cited his successes as president and railed against Democrat leadership and policies he says are endangering America.

"We have more oil than anywhere else and don't want to use it," he said, going on to cite wind turbines destroying birds, a tenfold increase in lethal drugs crossing an open southern border, a surge in violent crime, unlimited criminals, terrorists and patients released from mental health hospitals crossing the border, and men competing in and winning women's sports events.

Trump compared the state of the nation to "April Fool's Day for America."

"It's just common sense. You want to have borders and voter ID."

Commenting on his drive from the airport, he said, "Every lawn has Trump 2024 signs. They know what they had and they look at what's happening now."

Just over 500 party representatives packed the Seifert Performing Arts Center at Salem High School, site of the annual state GOP meeting, where the former chief executive was guest speaker.

Chris Ager of Amherst, Republican National Committee chairman for New Hampshire, was elected state party chair. Ryan Terrell of Nashua, who serves on the state Board of Education, prevailed over two other candidates for vice chair. Alan Glassman of Barnstead was elected treasurer, and Jim MacEachern of Derry as assistant treasurer.

Many still behind Trump

Outside, a crowd waited. A concession stand sold both Trump 2024 and DeSantis 2024 buttons and banners. Pickup trucks carried a flurry of flags, including "Let's Go Brandon," "Trump 2024" and "Don't Tread on Me."

Inside, before the start of the meeting, Jeff Oligny of Plaistow, an engineer and former three-term state representative who backs Trump, sported a red "Make America Great Again" scarf from 2016.

"I think he's generally a good decision maker. He's had plenty of gaffes, but he speaks his mind. He's not a schmoozy politician," Oligny said of Trump's appeal. "Joe (Biden) calls us 'MAGA Republicans.' Please help me understand what's so offensive about wanting America great again.

"That's our country. There's nothing wrong with rooting for the home team. I fear for our country and what we're going to hand down to my children and grandchildren."

Nearby, Chris Wood of Concord sat at a table with cards, T-shirts and a banner trumpeting Ron DeSantis. He said he was getting "lots of positive feedback" from supporters of Florida's Republican governor, who has not indicated whether he will run in the primary next year.

"I think he's our best choice to win in 2024. I'm tired of losing," he said. Citing disappointing results in the midterm elections, Wood said, "We can't have as many 'red waves' as we just had."

DeSantis has shown "real leadership" in the past couple of years, said Wood, shepherding Florida through COVID with minimal restrictions and closures. "He reminds people of Trump without all the extra noise."

Two tables away, Pamela Tucker, outgoing state party vice chair, sat at a table below a banner that said, "Ron to the Rescue. America is in dire need of new leadership."

"We want to have a ground game, an organization ready to go," Tucker said. "He has a high electability rating as you saw in Florida. Also name recognition."

Sizing up Trump vs. DeSantis

Party stalwarts are split between DeSantis and Trump over who is most electable and will do the best job. They maintain it's too early to pick a winner.

Tammy Simmons Garthwaite, a former state representative from Manchester and a Rand Paul supporter in 2016, said she never would have guessed back then Trump would prevail as the nominee.

"Trump whittled away, whittled away," she said. The independent nature of most Republicans — independent thinkers who bristle at top-down leadership — "makes it harder for us to gather the troops," she said.

Garthwaite said some Republicans are anti-Trump and won't vote for the former president, and some Trump supporters may not vote for anyone else.

Johanna Brown, a GOP delegate from Manchester, said Trump needs to rebrand himself. "My husband's pro-Trump and I was in the beginning. He brings a lot of controversy, a lot of baggage and so many people are fixated on destroying him. I like him as a person, but I think it's going to make it so hard to win."

Julie DiPietro, a GOP delegate and retired nurse from Manchester, believes Trump should become more humble about health challenges, get to the bottom of COVID and vaccine safety, and close the border. She would get behind him in the general election and wouldn't change his personality or presentation.

"He's not a politician. He's not in with the swamp. He tells it like it is. The others smile in your face and stab you in the back," DiPietro said.

"The swamp is home to the elitist class who consider themselves the best and brightest and have all the answers," said Stepanek, the outgoing state party chair. "Their quest for power is never-ending. There is only one man who can put an end to this, and that man is Donald J. Trump."

Inside the auditorium, Ager rallied Republicans with a plan to win in 2024, 2026 and 2028, through a playbook that encourages concerted fundraising, forging connections, gathering support one-on-one, and standing behind party principles with messages that convey them.

"We are not going to be Democrat-Lite. That's no way to win," Ager said. "We have the most organized and extremist Democrat party that I've ever seen. It's like a dark cloud of Marxism. Each one of us is like a little candle to expose their lies. When it comes to abortion, the Democrats are extremists, not us. A baby? One minute before it's born they can kill it."

rbaker@unionleader.com