Former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli is heading up the Never Back Down PAC promoting a POTUS run by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling him "the most conservative candidate in the race who can win." Acknowledging Trump has a lead in the polls right now, Cucinelli predicts DeSantis's record -- which he says is far better than Trump's on key issues like pro-life and COVID, for example -- will convince Republicans the Florida governor is a better choice. Besides, Cucinelli adds, Trump...
Apr 26, 2023•28 min
The night before he was having dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The next day Corey Lewandowski is on the NHJournal podcast, dishing about the GOP POTUS field, NH Gov. Chris Sununu and the likely 2024 governor's race. Lewandowski brings his trademark take-no-prisoners style, plus his smart insights about GOP primary voters and what it takes to win in the current moment. Love him or hate him, it's a great conversation! Hosted by NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham....
Apr 21, 2023•40 min
Gov. Chris Sununu jumps on the pod just after signing an executive order taking on the Biden administration's new ESG investing rule. State agencies will not participate, Sununu says, and he explains why. Sununu also talks about why a Republican who has largely tried to avoid culture war debates has no problems embracing the Second Amendment, signing pro-2A laws that give him perhaps the strongest record in the potential 2024 field. Plus, his take on Democrats taking their 2024 convention to the...
Apr 12, 2023•26 min
NHJournal catches up with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on the FITN campaign trail to talk Tik Tok, Trump and whether politics should play a role in Americans' search for meaning. Plus host Michael Graham on the current state of the New Hampshire GOP POTUS primary, including news Vivek Ramaswamy has dropped the first broadcast TV ad of the FITN 2024 season. Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua .
Mar 30, 2023•24 min
Veteran political reporter David Drucker of The Dispatch gives his analysis of the current state of the GOP presidential primary race. No surprise -- it's all about the Trump. And he shares what DC insiders are saying about a second Biden run. In New Hampshire, every legislative Democrat has now voted against the Parents Bill of Rights, giving parents the right to know what their kids are being taught, what medical treatment they're getting and what, if any, behavior they're engaged in regarding...
Mar 24, 2023•28 min
University of New Hampshire President James Dean joins NHJournal to talk about the status of free speech on campus in the UNH system, their rankings from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the culture of free expression in academia. Dean also makes his case for supporting public colleges and universities like UNH, and the need for New Hampshire to help young people get the skills they need to fill the many job vacancies in the state. Hosted by Michael Graham...
Mar 20, 2023•19 min
Marianne Williamson wants New Hampshire Democrats who are frustrated with President Biden's political 'triangulation' to know she feels their pain. From his approval of the Willow project to his stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Williamson believes Biden is abandoning the base of the Democratic Party. She also defends free speech and calls out her fellow progressives on the issue. It's all part of the podcast, along with host Michael Graham's take on Gov. Ron DeSantis' Ukraine politics. Is "Not ...
Mar 17, 2023•37 min
State Senator Jeb Bradley joins the New Hampshire Journal podcast to talk about the latest news from the State House -- including the first visit from a FITN candidate: Democrat Marianne Williamson. While Bradley isn't ready to endorse the self-help guru (yet?), he points out that asking POTUS candidates to speak to the legislature isn't new in New Hampshire. Bradley also discusses the unanimous state Senate vote in favor of expanding Medicaid and why he believes Granite State taxpayers have not...
Mar 10, 2023•26 min
Veteran New Hampshire GOP players Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos and Jim Merrill join the NHJournal podcast to talk about how the FITN primary looks from nearly one year out. Is the biggest story so far the NHDems' decision to strip the Granite State of its place at the front of the line? Host Michael Graham doesn't think so. Also, a new exclusive NHJournal poll of NHDems shows they're not big fans of a 2024 Biden POTUS bid, and they don't really care about keeping the FITN primary. All the details...
Mar 03, 2023•35 min
Christopher Rufo is one of the most influential people on the American Right, leading the fight against Critical Race Theory in schools and government training, and now pushing back on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies. New Hampshire has legislation dealing with both, and Rufo discusses why he believes the Granite State needs them. Also, on Thursday New Hampshire House Democrats realized that, thanks to NHGOP no-shows and early departures, they had a majority. They immediately used ...
Feb 24, 2023•46 min
Ryan Terrell was elected NHGOP state vice chairman less than a month ago, but he's hitting the ground running. He knows the Republican Party suffered a setback in 2022, but he believes victory is right around the corner and in this NHJournal podcast, he explains why. Terrell talks education policy, GOP politics and his personal story as a Hurricane Katrina evacuee. Plus host Michael Graham talks about the latest NHJournal poll showing overwhelming bipartisan support for parental rights among Gra...
Feb 14, 2023•36 min
Why is RFK, Jr coming to the New Hampshire Institute of Politics? Why did he jump into the fight for New Hampshire's FITN primary two weeks ago? Is Camelot magic making a return? It's all part of the podcast, along with Vivek Ramaswamy -- author, tech guy, Fox News celebrity, and a possible Republican candidate in 2024. He talks 'Woke, Inc.', ESG investing and GOP politics with host Michael Graham, managing editor of NHJournal. To become a $4.99/month "subscriber" to the free daily newsletter, p...
Feb 10, 2023•26 min
Will Hurd is on a mission : Helping folks understand a crazy world with rational takes from a former CIA officer and congressman on current events, foreign policy, and technological advances. On the NHJournal podcast, Hurd talks about the significance of the Chinese spy balloon and the Biden administration's handling of it. He also talks about the risk posed by Tik Tok and China's tech advancement. Is he trying to start a conversation about a Will Hurd 2024 POTUS race? Click play and find out. P...
Feb 06, 2023•41 min
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella says protecting the public is his top priority. But the specific protections he’s chosen to highlight have some in Granite State political circles suggesting he might also have political ambitions as well. In an exclusive and wide-ranging podcast interview with NHJournal, the 36-year-old AG talks about why he became a lawyer (Two words: "Jack McCoy"), what he believes his most important mission is as the state's top cop, and the previous AGs who've go...
Feb 02, 2023•39 min
Republican National Committeeman Chris Ager wants the NHGOP state party chairman's job and, so far, he's the only candidate in the race. In a wide-ranging interview with NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham, Ager talks about how his "diplomatic" approach may be different from the current mood of some GOP activists and how Gov. Chris Sununu's opposition to his candidacy may help him. He also works in a Sean Connery line from The Untouchables. Plus -- Doug Kelly with the American Edge Project ...
Dec 14, 2022•44 min
Axios' political reporter Josh Kraushaar says Gov. Chris Sununu is "a great quote, and a great interview." But is he viewed by DC politicos as a serious 2024 POTUS candidate? Krashaar talks to NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham about it, along with how the NHDems vs. Biden/DNC fight over the FITN is playing on the national stage. And could 2024 see a return of 'The Sununu Model' to win the FITN? Closer to home, newly-elected State Senate President Jeb Bradley looks ahead to a 2023 legislat...
Dec 12, 2022•38 min
Is the New Hampshire Democrats' First In The Nation primary dead? Or maybe even, ala Princess Bride, mostly dead ? Not even close, says the Boston Globe's James Pindell in the NHJournal podcast. Instead of killing the NH primary, the Biden/DNC bombshell has just unleashed chaos across the Democrats' primary map. And they've also added rule changes that would force New Hampshire to change more than just its #FITN state law, changes NH voters don't support. The real question is why? Two words: "Bi...
Dec 03, 2022•29 min
Granite State Republicans expecting a Red Wave in last week's midterms got a Blue Backlash instead. Why? NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham offers his take. And former Congressman Mike Rogers is trying to get Americans focused on the rising threat China poses to America's interests and values. He's part of Leadership to Ensure the American Dream (LEAD ), a new initiative born out of a time-tested idea: that America is a force for good and that the pursuit of the American Dream is as essent...
Nov 14, 2022•38 min
On Election Day 2022, former NYC Mayor and GOP POTUS candidate Rudy Giuliani stopped by Castro's in Manchester -- one of the great joys of living in the Granite State! He wanted an interview for his radio show, NHJournal wanted one for our podcast, and here is the result. The audio isn't terrific, but it's OK and the conversation is a lot of fun. So please enjoy this impromptu podcast, covering everything from favorite cigars to Trump 2024. Hosted by NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham...
Nov 08, 2022•33 min
It's a double-barreled edition of the New Hampshire Journal podcast, recorded just minutes after the WMUR-TV debate between U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan and her GOP challenger Gen. Don Bolduc. Cliffs Notes version: If it had been a fight, they woulda stopped it, only Hassan didn't show up prepared to fight. Bolduc dominated the debate and moved his improbable bid to defeat an incumbent U.S. Senator one step closer. Radio host Drew Cline of WFEA offers his take on the debate and what he sees as Has...
Nov 03, 2022•41 min
Come for the rank NH politics punditry, stay for the conversation about "Sextober" at UNH (You should --if you're a New Hampshire taxpayer, you're paying for it!) On an eclectic edition of the NHJournal podcast, host Michael Graham talks to Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies about the crisis at the southern border and the Biden administration's role. Is it a winning issue for pro-border-security candidates? Then Katelyn Regan, the head of the UNH Students for Life chapter , tal...
Oct 20, 2022•47 min
Over the past three election cycles, Robert Cahaly of the Trafalgar Group has emerged as the most trusted GOP pollster in America, predicting races -- like Trump's 2016 victory -- nearly everyone else missed. He just dropped a poll from the NH Senate race and he talks to host Michael Graham about the mood of the Granite State electorate (not good) and the prospects that a wild-card candidate like retired Gen. Don Bolduc could beat incumbent Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan (better than you think.) An...
Oct 06, 2022•38 min
In this special post-debate edition of the NHJournal podcast, UNH political science professor Dante Scala joins NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham to review the performances and pick the winners in WMUR's U.S. Senate GOP primary debate -- the only statewide, televised debate of the campaign. SPOILER ALERT: The reviews aren't good. They also discuss the impact of Gov. Chris Sununu's endorsement of State Sen. Chuck Morse, the races in the NH-01 and NH-02 primaries, and why Sen. Maggie Hassan...
Sep 09, 2022•31 min
How should Granite State Republicans talk about abortion? Based on their behavior during the 2022 campaign, the answer appears to be "only under duress." Mallory Carroll with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America doesn't agree. She joins host Michael Graham to discuss how Republicans are mishandling the abortion issue and the opportunity they have in the midterms. The podcast begins, however, with Graham's analysis of the NHGOP's "strategery" -- or lack thereof -- and NH-01 candidate Gail Huff Brown...
Sep 05, 2022•37 min
Former Ambassador Ric Grenell is an outspoken advocate of President Trump's foreign policy and he makes the case for the former president's record in the podcast. From Russia and Ukraine to Iran and Israel, Grenell argues the Trump approach made progress President Biden has squandered. Grenell was in the Granite State campaigning for his former State Department colleague Matt Mowers, a Republican candidate in the NH-01 primary. Also on the podcast, a new UNH poll hits showing Don Bolduc with a b...
Aug 30, 2022•31 min
David Drucker is senior correspondent for the Washington Examiner, author of the book "In Trump's Shadow," and a longtime reporter on American politics. He joins the pod to talk about how the New Hampshire GOP Senate primary is looking to Republicans in DC, and why the GOP insiders aren't panicking about a crash of the "Red Wave" -- yet. Also, Drucker's theory on why President Donald Trump may choose to sit out the NH GOP primaries. WARNING; The podcast starts with a rant from the host on Presid...
Aug 25, 2022•35 min
Former NH-02 Congressman Paul Hodes is no stranger to wave elections. He was swept into office during the GOP collapse of 2006 and ran (unsuccessfully) for U.S. Senate during the Republican sweep of 2010. In this edition of the NHJournal podcast, Hodes talks about the possibility of a "red wave" hitting the Granite State in 2022, rebuts the argument that progressive politics in New Hampshire is dead, and offers advice for first-time candidates. Today Hodes is a principal at Shanti Energy , a net...
Aug 16, 2022•40 min
After a year of whistling past the political graveyard, New Hampshire Democrats are now facing the very real likelihood the Democratic National Committee is going to strip them of their prized "First in the Nation" primary status. Worse, says NHJournal host Michael Graham, is the reason they're giving for taking the primary way: Granite State voters are 'too white.' Politically problematic, to say the least. State Rep. Ross Berry (R-Manchester) joins the podcast to talk about the politics of the...
Jul 26, 2022•44 min
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was in New Hampshire talking housing policy and politics, and he sat down with NHJournal's Michael Graham to talk about Republican politics, just how big the GOP tent truly is, and different U.S. policy would have been if he had taken the oath of office in January 2021 instead of Joe Biden. Hogan also talks about why he thinks resentment within the GOP base is misguided and his theory way, even when the Republican brand is low, approval of GOP governors stays high. Plus...
Jul 13, 2022•26 min
After trending on Twitter earlier in the week, Rep. Jason Osborne joins host Michael Graham on the NHJournal podcast to talk about his controversial 4th of July message and how the reaction confirms his decision to keep his tweets private. Osborne also talks about the midterms and why the NHDems' decision to center their campaign message on guns and abortion is just fine by him. Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.
Jul 08, 2022•35 min
