New Hampshire’s former governor and senior U.S. Senator says that Granite State voters are tired of the 45th President’s legal woes and perpetual falsehoods about the 2020 election, which he repeated last week during a campaign rally in Manchester.
“I think, fundamentally, people disagree with him on the issues that he supported as president and continues to support,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said.
The Granite State’s 78th governor was speaking with WCVB hosts Sharman Sacchetti and Ed Harding for the pair’s Sunday politics show On the Record, when she said former President Donald Trump’s recent remarks in the Queen City reflect his own beliefs and ideology much more than they do those of the historically independent minded voters of the first-in-the-nation primary state.
“New Hampshire believes that women should have our own control of our bodies and that reproductive rights should be the decisions of women. Donald Trump doesn’t believe that,” she said. “People in New Hampshire believe that there is a role for America in the world and that Vladimir Putin is a disgraceful tyrant who has entered an unprovoked war against Ukraine. Donald Trump doesn’t believe that.”
Despite the fact Trump has twice won the Republican primary in New Hampshire, Shaheen said he’s never had enough sway with the rest of the state’s voters to win in the end and he hasn’t done much since losing in 2020 to change their minds.
“He certainly didn’t win the (New Hampshire) general election in 2016 or 2020 and I think what he has done since then has further alienated him from a lot of New Hampshire voters: the January 6th insurrection, then his refusing to acknowledge the outcome of the election. I don’t think it helps him that he paid money to a former porn star, or a current porn star, I guess,” she said.
According to polling conducted after Trump was arrested on 34 felony charges by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg in connection with alleged hush-money payments apparently made to Stormy Daniels, a pornstar-ex-mistress of the former president, support among New Hampshire conservatives for Trump has not diminished.
“Despite being recently indicted in New York and facing other potential indictments, or perhaps because of these legal troubles, former President Trump is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination in the New Hampshire Primary,” pollsters at the University of New Hampshire wrote. “Support for Trump among likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters increased significantly since his arrest and indictment.”
According to polling, Trump would even win New Hampshire if running against the Granite State’s fairly popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, should he follow through with an oft-hinted campaign run.
Shaheen said Sununu may seem like he might make a run for presidency or is at least considering a campaign, but he isn’t acting like a candidate.
“He’s not putting together a campaign as you would if you were really serious about running; he’s not raising money, he hasn’t put together a campaign organization” she said.