Good morning!
A new episode of The Steve Marchand Podcast is up, and it is as meaty as any I’ve done yet. Seriously: In this episode, my guest, NH Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley, and I got into deep political mode on:
The underlying factors that make 2026 such a promising year up and down the ballot for Democrats in New Hampshire
Where the Democratic National Committee is in its process of determining which state will be the official First In The Nation Presidential Primary (as well as the full election calendar)
Why New Hampshire should be first (we run great elections, with huge turnout, where everybody gets a legitimate chance to compete with the rich and famous candidates, and we strengthen the field for the long road ahead better than anybody…that’s just for starters!)
Some great stories of FITN primaries past (we both cut our teeth in NH politics before either of us were teenagers)
What the winning message for NH Democrats in 2026 and beyond can be
How Democrats can begin winning back the support of the blue-collar voters who were once the backbone of our party
The scourge that is DC political consultants who often get stuck in their bubble, and fail to craft strategies and messages that connect with real people. (This may have been my favorite part - Ray pulls no punches.)
Finally, a real interesting, unexpected retrospective on former Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, who was first elected 20 years ago this November. Even though she won four times, her message, with the passage of time, was probably…ahead of its time. Her working-class presence and message would fit in quite well in a political world that feels so different from 20 years ago…but maybe wasn’t that different, after all!
You can listen to this episode (and all 35 episodes!) of The Steve Marchand Podcast at Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch the episode on my YouTube channel. Of course, you can also watch it above. Please subscribe to my podcast wherever you get your podcasts, as well as the YouTube channel. It’s all free, and adding subscribers will increase the circle of people who will have this content recommended. Thank you!
