Another Election … Another NHGOP Debacle. A Post-Mortem on Manchester’s Municipal Election.

So … as you may recall … this past Tuesday was Election Day. And it was a bad … very bad … day for the Democrats:

(screenshot from RealClearPolitics on November 5th).

EXCEPT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:

With that context, let’s take a deeper look at what happened in Manchester. It is undeniable … from comparing this past Tuesday’s rematch between Joyce Craig and Victoria Sullivan to 2019 … that there was very little enthusiasm for the top of the GOP ticket.

Here are the 2021 results:

Here are the 2019 results:

Craig lost 804 votes from 2019. A drop-off is to be expected given the generic toxicity of the Democrat brand. Sullivan, however, only increased her vote total by 575 votes. The lack of enthusiasm for Sullivan is evident when we compare Sullivan’s totals to the 2017 election:

Ted Gatsas, in a “blue wave” election, still handily exceeded Sullivan’s totals in both 2019 and 2021. And … it bears repeating … 2021 was a “red wave” election.

Why was there so little enthusiasm for Sullivan?

For one thing, she was not a good fit. She was not a political “outsider” … having served in the New Hampshire House … but she had no experience in city government. Craig, in contrast, served on the school board and as an alderman before running for Mayor.

Sullivan also lacked any experience as a chief executive in the private sector that would have compensated for her non-germane political resume. Sullivan’s resume was far better suited for a run for State Senate.

For another thing, her consultants ran an atrocious campaign. This was the CRT election:

Ryan's anti-critical race theory PAC won 44 out of 57 school board elections in 7 states. Next election cycle, let's copy this model everywhere. https://t.co/KwuQikNNRo

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) November 4, 2021

But instead of a campaign focused on CRT, we got #CraigsChaos signs. Sullivan’s consultants followed the same archaic NHGOP strategy of avoiding the dreaded “social issues” and focusing on the fiscal issues. That is NOT how the GOP turned Virginia from Blue to Red:

While Youngkin had conservative instincts from the outset, he put them aside, instead basing his calls on the high-dollar consultants in his ear. Early in the campaign, his speeches focused on grocery taxes and the like, steering clear of critical race theory, abortion, and lockdowns. He even frequently appeared at public events dutifully wearing his mask. So long as his consultants held sway, he languished. But Virginian voters .. were in no mood for Romneyism. Everywhere Youngkin went, he saw that … . 

And why was Kelly Ayotte’s picture all over GOP campaign literature? It often seemed like the campaign was more about sticking it to Trump-voters than representing the interests of these voters.

The lack of enthusiasm for the top of the ticket also affected the down-ballot races. Consider Ward 7 Alderman. Here is 2021:

And here is 2019:

However toxic the Democrat brand may be nationally … in the Granite State the GOP brand is even more toxic. The NHGOP needs to make drastic changes immediately. For starters, the entire Executive Committee should resign.