Welcome back. *** major deadline is fast approaching Democrats now have
less than *** week to comply with the dnc's demands to overhaul voting laws
in New Hampshire and repeal the state law that mandates the first in the
nation primary be right here in the granite state. The law is going to stay
where it is on the books and Democrats don't hold power and concord. So the
changes the DNC wants aren't happening either. Meantime, you've got
Republicans all over the state meeting voters and making their case for change
in 2024. It's *** lot to deal with for the man in charge of the New Hampshire
Democratic Party. Ray Buckley, who's our guest this morning? Thanks for
being here, chairman. Great to have, great to be here on this great Memorial
Day weekend. Right? So let's talk about the Republicans first. Uh because I
know you probably want to, you know, *** lot of Democrats have wanted to
weigh in on, on what's going on here and we have *** lot of Republicans on
the show. So what's your assessment of the emerging Republican field that
we're seeing so far? Well, we've yet to see anyone catch on and actually be ***
true anyone giving any trouble to Donald Trump, they are trying to out
Trump each other and it just doesn't seem to be working. He seems to be
comfortably, comfortably ahead. And how shameful is that for the Republican
Party? What about Ron desantis? What did you think of this launch this last
week here with Elon Musk on Twitter? Was that real? Or was that really just
*** stunt to get attention? Because how can you be running for president and
really gets such *** disaster for an announcement? I I think it had to have
been *** stunt by some pr person going. Hey, let's just make it look like ***
mess. People will know your name. Uh because you know, he can't really talk
about his record as Florida. I mean, what *** disaster
we know in Republican presidential politics, in democratic presidential
politics, in the primary that sometimes the polling leader isn't the person who
finishes that way. But for Trump, he absolutely went wire to wire in 15.
Some Republicans are saying this time will be different. Do you think there
could be any chance that somebody takes him down this time there at this point?
I think you've got probably on your list, 20 people dividing up the anti
Trump vote. So even if Trump falls to 30 that could be enough to win the
Republican primary in New Hampshire. And obviously abortion is *** big issue
right now. We saw that in 2022. And you know, the Republican field is feeling
its way through this. Now, many of them are migrating towards positions that
essentially we want to set, you know, *** ban on recent gestation. Here,
there, every time *** candidate comes out with this, we see Democrats almost
in celebration mode because they feel that what these policies they're
adopting are so unpopular, maybe it wins in *** Republican primary. But
with an eye on the general election, how does that work out? Uh New
Hampshire is one of the most pro choice states in the country. And to see these
presidential candidates
jumping over each other to find out who could be most cruel, no exceptions for
rape or incest life of the mother. Uh trying to, to ban it the procedure, you
know, six weeks, most, most women have no idea that they're even pregnant at
that point. It's just *** cruel bo getting stunt on the Republican side
has nothing to do with the reality of what the women of America face. No
matter what the message is, the Republicans are out there right now on
the ground meeting voters doing the things that we see in the primary that
makes New Hampshire so unique and also has such *** big impact on the way the
electorate works here, right? Because these campaigns get out there, they
pull voters into the process and suddenly you have people involved in
politics who weren't before. And that's one of the big concerns for Democrats
with the first of the nation primary. If the DNC really does try to take this
away that it could impact in some way, your ability to organize and do big
things here. Let's just talk at first about what Congressman Clyburn had to
say. Essentially many have said, saying the quiet part out loud that this isn't
about diversity. It's about avoiding embarrassment for President Biden. Well,
perhaps somebody said that to Congressman Clyburn who is *** senior
elder, respected member of Congress. But the reality is just simply not true.
Bill Clinton was able to get 84% of the vote. Barack Obama received 82% of the
vote. Frankly, I believe that Joe Biden when this is all said and done is going
to be on the ballot and he's going to get more than that for re election. So
I think Democrats are very supportive Democrats and independents are very
supportive of the president's re election because when you know, as he
says, don't compare him to perfection, compare him to, you know, to the other
side and he looks pretty darn good looking at this group of folks running
on the Republican side which are, are, you know, I'm not that worried about
independence being attracted to this, this, these, these people are not
talking about issues that would attract independents in the Republican primary.
You say you think President Biden will be on the primary ballot. What gives
you that confidence? Because right now is the DNC? Is it up? It says no way
you can't put your name on here. We've got *** long time between now and
whenever the filing period is and, uh, either, uh, December or January,
whenever the Secretary of State determines, I feel pretty confident
that the president at the, this is all said and done will have his name on the
ballot. He will be successful and be reelected. What about this deadline?
You know, do you think the D N C will punt again to try to give New Hampshire
more time? But what they're asking for just can't be done. Yeah, I mean, we
didn't ask for this extension. Uh This is something that they created on, on
their own. Uh, uh, and, uh, you know, they'll be meeting uh, mid June in
Minneapolis and, but they'll be meeting monthly throughout the rest of the year
as they, uh, Tinker with each of the States uh plans. So, uh, I don't think
that we're gonna get *** definitive answer even if we get *** temporary
answer. Uh, it's all subject to change. Uh Anything can happen between now and
then. Uh, but at the end of the day, uh, you know, President Biden is gonna get
reelected in November 2024. And that's really where our focus is. Our focus is
about, you know, reelecting, uh, congress members you know, Custer and
winning the majorities in the legislature picking up the governor's
race, uh, and, uh, making sure that, uh, that Barack Obama, Barack Obama, that
Joe Biden turning back the clock too far. It, it seems like the D N C didn't
anticipate this situation in which New Hampshire just wouldn't roll over at
all and now they're stuck with this. What, what do you think? I mean, it,
it's hard to imagine they wouldn't strategize for something like this. And
yet here we are. Well, um, as uh as you well know, uh the decision uh from the,
from the White House seemed to have been very last minute, very rushed and
we immediately responded by saying we didn't think it was well thought out
and that just simply wasn't going to work and that has proven to be true.
There was some national reporting recently on the idea that somebody was
floating. I don't know who, but of trying to have the New Hampshire
Democratic Party run its own primary in New Hampshire. I'm not sure we've heard
anyone actually seriously propose that, but just as an idea, is that something
that could ever happen, uh the voters in New Hampshire asking them to vote
twice within *** month. It's just, it, it's ridiculous. And in terms of an
administrative apparatus, I mean, how would you even? Yeah, it cost well over
$10 million to be able to replicate what we do for our elections in New
Hampshire, uh, and trying to do it in any other sort of oddball would make it
into *** farce. You know, people are talking about either having drop off
centers or something like that. That's not an election that, you know, that's,
people are used to voting the way that they've been voting in New Hampshire.
And we would have to replicate what had just happened weeks before and the cost
of that would be in the millions. And I'd much rather if I had such money
spend that election Democrats in November 2024 in terms of the defense
of the first in the nation primary, it looks like no one's breaking ranks
right now. That failing is tight. But what do you think about this
constitutional amendment that's been essentially proposed in the legislature
wants to get up there and kind of defend the primary? Could it blow up in
their face though? If it's something that they don't put money behind, they
don't get people to come out. Could this reach that, you know, two thirds
level to get passage for *** constitutional amendment? Well, it's,
it is considered by some, *** very dangerous step because it could, and it
could end up being used as *** weapon against us. Uh, and normally I don't
think it's *** good idea to give *** weapon to your opponents. Uh, it could
be *** strong argument so I know that it passed the Senate. It's before the
house. Now, I hope that cooler heads will prevail. Is there anything else
that needs to be done? Do you feel legislatively that would help protect
the primary? Uh No, I think Jim explains *** law in 1975. Did that
quite nicely? Uh And as we look at this, uh you know, we, we've been saying for
years and we will continue to say New Hampshire will have the first in the
nation primary. There's obviously *** lot of gloom and doom around this
primary fight, but underneath that, some of the fundamentals are looking
still pretty good for you guys. You got your special elections that you've won
recently and I'm curious, you know, you never know what happens after any
legislative session that year one ends and with 400 members, sometimes people
move things happen. Um and maybe there'll be pressure not to do that
this time around because that majority is so tight. But do you think there's
*** possibility that before the next election happens, new Hampshire
Democrats might flip the new Hampshire House? Well, we're two seats away. Uh
and with two special elections by the end of the year, we could be tied and
all it takes is, you know, one or two resignations on the Republican side to
flip the majority in the house. And so I feel pretty confident we'll have the
majority at some point either after the election or before the election of 24
you served in the house. What would *** 200 200 look like? How would they even,
I guess? Well, I think we're sort of seeing that now, uh with Democrats
carrying the day on the boats and Republicans uh holding the titles right.
Democratic Party chairman, Ray Buckley will definitely be checking in back
with you to see as this D N C situation evolves. We appreciate the time. Thank
you. All right.