New Hampshire Journal

In the wake of the Blue Tsunami, the NHJournal podcast takes a look at the aftermath, and how politics moves forward. State Sen. Daryl Abbas talks about what happened to the NHGOP-controlled Senate, and how the Republicans in the chamber are likely to govern in the next session. Then GOP strategist Colin Reed shares the national view of the election results in New Hampshire and beyond, and what th...

The NHJournal podcast has the final days of the 2026 midterms covered from top to bottom! UNH professor Dante Scala watches NH politics from his ivory tower, surrounded by polls, data and political theory. Veteran campaign pro Chuck McGee operates down at the grassroots, with towers of political mail and hundreds of campaign text messages at his fingertips.  Together they give you a look into what...

While many political observers see another 2006 blue wave on the horizon, GOP campaign veterans Dave Carney and Greg Moore don't agree -- particularly for the NHGOP.   From the quality of candidates to the cash advantage for Republicans, Carney and Moore make their case for why Election Day will not be the GOP disaster many are predicting. Then NHJournal's political reporter Leonard Robi...

Love 'em or hate 'em, political ads are everywhere in New Hampshire right now, and comms expert Scott Spradling joins the podcast for another round of campaign ad reviews. The 'Bleep' ad? Kelly & Joe 2.0? The ad Cinde Warmington wants the Attorney General to take down? They're all reviewed here! Then a conversation with NH-02 GOP nominee Lily Tang Williams fresh off he...

Twenty years after a Democratic wave swept both of New Hampshire's Republicans out of Congress and the NHGOP out of power in Concord, veterans of that election cycle see familiar warning signs heading into November. Former Rep. Jeb Bradley, former NHGOP chair Fergus Cullen and NHGOP operative Jeff Grappone debate and discuss. Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua. Enjoy the podcast? Please su...

You've got questions about polling? Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson College Polling, has answers. Is polling in a crisis? How should you use the results? What they can-- and can't -- tell you about the state of the NH elections? It's all here in the podcast. PLUS: A round of rank punditry with UNH political science professor Dante Scala. Is 2026 shaping up to be another 2018 or...

In the NHJournal podcast, GOP NH-01 nominee Anthony DiLorenzo repeatedly compared his working-class background and business success to Democratic opponent Stefany Shaheen’s life as a beneficiary of her mother Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s influence. “I got my first job when I was eight years old. I’ve been working ever since,” DiLorenzo said. And Shaheen? “I don’t think she’s ever received a job that wasn...

Cinde Warmington says New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program is picking taxpayers’ pockets and driving up local property taxes. Drew Cline, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy , has a two-word fact check: It isn’t. “That’s one of the more ridiculous claims that comes out in politics,” Cline told the NHJournal Podcast. “It really doesn’t have any bearing on reality...

When NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham looked around the room at Castro's Cigar Lounge in Bedford the Friday after the primary and saw three campaign pros/reporters gathered around, he did the obvious thing: Turned on the mic! The result is this improvised podcast with GOP strategist Michael Dennehy, Republican comms pro and Union Leader columnist Patrick Hynes, and NY Sun reporter (an...

On the eve of the Granite State's 2026 primary elections, two veteran politicos join the NHJournal podcast to talk about the state of the races and the state of New Hampshire politics. Matt Mowers is president of Valcour, a global strategy firm. Before that, he was a political operative in New Hampshire who ran for Congress in the First Congressional District twice. He offers his insights — a...

After a week of debates and poll drops, it's time for a full hour of political analysis and -- a fan favorite -- "Rank Punditry!" The podcast starts with Boston Globe political reporter and NH politics veteran James Pindell, who talks about the competitive races in both New Hampshire and the Bay State, and why a certain Granite State Republican might be on the 2028 VP list. Then we...

New Hampshire House Speaker Sherman Packard reflects on “probably the toughest three terms almost any speaker has ever had” in his farewell interview with NHJournal.com. The Londonderry Republican recounts the challenges he faced, from the COVID-19 pandemic to an almost evenly divided House and growing political turmoil. Packard also discusses the recent overrides of Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s vetoes, hi...

 John E. Sununu drops by Castro's Cigar Lounge in Bedford to talk about his race for U.S. Senate and the surge in socialist politics among Democrats. “The socialists are in charge right now of the Democratic Party. They’re driving it, and that’s one of the reasons this is an important election,” Sununu said. “Chris Pappas has gone along with them, hook, line and sinker.” Then it's "...

Forget “Suck it up, Buttercup.” Terry Shumaker says it’s time for his fellow New Hampshire Democrats to stand up to the DNC, and he expects presidential candidates who want to win in 2028 to do the same. “I’m not interested in supporting anybody for president who’s afraid of some party bosses down in Washington,” Shumaker told the NHJournal podcast this week. Then it's Rank Punditry with Caro...

Former NH-01 Congressman Frank Guinta joins the podcast to talk about the current state of the race for his old seat, how the 2026 cycle is shaping up for his fellow Republicans and the news that the DNC is stripping NH of its First in the Nation primary. Then it's Rank Punditry time with AFP's Sarah Scott and grizzled GOP campaign veteran Dave Carney. Will the Democrats' struggles...

As the Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket) saga continues, it can be hard to keep up with all the twists and turns, so NHJournal asked our very own Damien Fisher, who's been covering the story from the beginning, to bring you up to speed. From her work on behalf of the Satanic Temple to her attempt to aid Hamas to her adventures as New Hampshire's most lead-footed legislator, it's all her...

NH-01 GOP candidate Anthony DiLorenzo joins the NHJournal podcast to talk about his path to success in the primary, and in the general election -- likely against Democrat Stefany Shaheen. He also breaks the news that he's reporting his campaign took in more than $1 million in Q2 (most of it from DiLorenzo himself), which he says shows that this will be the first cycle in at least a decade whe...

Forget politics and partisanship. In this episode of the NHJournal podcast we celebrate America's (REAL) 250th anniversary by getting our patriotism on! History writer J. Mark Powell and Drew Cline, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, join host Michael Graham to talk about America's greatest moments, then debate -- who was the best Founding Father, and who was the...

All the progressives running in Democratic primaries aren't in New York City. Dr. Karishma Manzur is bringing her "People's Campaign" to the Democratic NH U.S. Senate primary taking on U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas. In an extensive conversation wth NHJournal's Michael Graham, Manzur explains her support for single-payer healthcare, ending U.S. support for Israel and her views on...

Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown talks about his race to return to the upper chamber, why he's a better choice than former Sen. John E. Sununu and why he believes President Trump 'missed an opportunity' by taking his boot off the neck of the Iran regime. Brown also talks about Democrats' support for government-run healthcare for all, and what he believes are the top three issues in...

Rank punditry takes the lead on this edition of the New Hampshire Journal podcast as GOP strategist Periklis Karoutas of Legislative Strategies and Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare) with the Committee to Elect House Republicans review the field now that the filing period has closed. (Berry also explains why the REAL filing ends in two weeks.) And NH-02 GOP candidate Victor Orlando talks about his race to...

After filing for re-election, Gov. Kelly Ayotte sat down for a one-on-one interview with NHJournal's Michael Graham to talk about her first-term record and how she plans to campaign to win another two years. “If you want higher taxes, then you should vote for Cinde Warmington,” Ayotte said. “If you want to protect the New Hampshire Advantage — no income tax, no sales tax, no investment taxes,...

For Memorial Day 2026, author and fan favorite J. Mark Powell joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Witness to War: The Story of the Civil War in the Words of Those Who Lived It. Powell is the author of the popular "Holy Cow! History" articles from InsideSources.com. He also talks about his days as a College Republican and his close encounter with Ronald Reagan -- and how he was...

A new NHJournal poll gives Vice President JD Vance a huge lead among New Hampshire Republicans in the 2028 FITN race. Two Granite State political veterans, former state Sen. Jeb Bradley and strategist Jim Merrill, join host Michael Graham to crunch the numbers and give their take on the state of play in NH politics ahead of the midterms. Then NH-02 GOP primary candidate Lily Tang Williams brings h...

Legendary political reporter Mark Halperin, founder of 2Way Media , joins NHJournal's Michael Graham to roll through his latest "8 for 2028" and talk about the Granite State's place in American politics. Then two of New Hampshire's smartest political insiders, Dave Carney and AFP's Greg Moore, analyze the current state of the 2026 campaigns and make their picks for th...