2028 wannabes catch early case of New Hampshire fever

The hottest ticket in town for 2028 hopefuls is a speech on Rep. Chris Pappas’s campaign trail.

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona stumped for Pappas's Senate campaign in New Hampshire on Friday; Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joined him for a fundraiser earlier this month; former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spent three days barnstorming for him in February; Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona campaigned for him in August; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota stumped for him in Keene in July.

The New Hampshire Senate race is a perfect storm for ambitious Democrats. Pappas cleared the Democratic field a year ago, and as his campaign gains steam, national Democrats can lend their political muscle to a battleground Senate race without wading into a messy primary. They also get important face time in the historic first-in-the-nation primary state before the 2028 calendar is finalized.

“People would and should be coming regardless to support Chris Pappas, who’s in one of the most important Senate races in the country,” said New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist Aaron Jacobs. “But obviously, they're not stupid, and they know the importance for themselves of being here as well."

In 2024, Donald Trump lost New Hampshire by the closest margin of any state that former Vice President Kamala Harris carried. While Pappas has the marquee race in the state this November, there are other New Hampshire races in which national Democrats can forge alliances—including a governor’s race, two House campaigns, and 424 state legislative races.

Not everyone joining the congressman on the campaign trail will necessarily launch a 2028 campaign, but the appearances are mutually beneficial for both the national stars and downballot candidates in the state. Beshear held a fundraiser in Seacoast for state Senate Democrats, and Buttigieg held a roundtable with Rep. Maggie Goodlander, state House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, and state Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka. After town halls in Manchester on Friday, former White House adviser Rahm Emanuel will headline a fundraiser in Boston for former Portsmouth City Councilor Stefany Shaheen, who is running to replace Pappas in the House.

“Get in while the getting’s good,” said New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist Lucas Meyer. “You can meet a bunch of candidates, help in a bunch of races where you can literally claim your support made a difference.”

New Hampshire is one of 12 states currently vying to go first on the 2028 presidential nominating calendar, after it launched an insurgent early primary in 2024, citing state law, disobeying the Democratic National Committee’s decree that South Carolina go first. Regardless of where the Granite State ends up this time around, it has a reputation for making or breaking presidential campaigns, and it behooves candidates to get in early.

“New Hampshire voters really reward people who openly and actively court their vote,” said Kelsi Browning, a Democratic strategist who worked on Klobuchar’s 2020 campaign in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire is an economical pick for national figures deciding where to stump. Seventy-five percent of the state's voters live in four counties in the south of the state, and the majority of the population is within an hour of the airport in Manchester, allowing candidates to make quick work of the state.

“You can pretty much get through all 10 counties in one day if you were doing a big swing,” Browning said.

According to Meyer, eventual 2028 candidates should invest early in New Hampshire staff who can build a campaign infrastructure and answer questions about the state and the community.

“You also need to invest in people on the ground,” he said. “It’s never too early.”