When Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage in North Hampton, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, the scene was picturesque: a white barn under a bright blue sky, American flags and cheering supporters.
But with just over 60 days to go until Election Day, it wasn’t entirely clear why Harris had chosen to come to the New England state.
The Granite State was not one of the seven battlegrounds where both campaigns spent tens of millions of dollars in advertising. And neither nominee had visited it recently.
It was Harris’ first visit to the state since 2021. Her rival Donald Trump was last in New Hampshire in January for the Republican primary.
But there was the vice president on a sunny afternoon, hitting the stump and stopping by a local pretzel shop. And the Democrats there were relieved.
Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage during her campaign event in North Hampton, NH on September 4, 2024
The state has historically been purple and has a Republican governor, which begs the question: Is New Hampshire a presidential battleground in 2024?
Andrew Smith, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, argued that this is not the case.
“If Biden had still been the nominee, this would have been a much more exciting race,” he said.
A supporter of Kamala Harris wears a hat with the vice president on it during her event in North Hampton, NH on September 4
That has not been the case since Harris took over.
The latest polls show Harris leading the state by an average of seven points. When Biden was the nominee, things were much tighter, with one poll after his June debate showing Trump ahead by as much as two points.
But Harris’ visit in the final sprint was at least a signal to voters on the ground that the vice president was not leaving things to chance in a neck-and-neck race, even though New Hampshire has a relatively small number of electoral votes with only four votes to be distributed.
Although Harris is leading in the polls, New Hampshire has a deeply purple history and could elect a Republican governor in November even if Harris wins, as was the case when Biden won by a wide margin in 2020.
“Hillary Clinton only won by 3,000 votes in 2016, so it’s not like New Hampshire is a huge win for Democrats,” Smith pointed out. “It’s still a pretty close state, and up until 2020 it was really seen as a battleground state.”
Donald Trump celebrates his victory in the New Hampshire GOP primary on January 23, 2024 in Nashua, New Hampshire. The last time a Republican won the state in the general election was in 2000, but Hillary Clinton narrowly won the state in 2016
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Since 2000, under President George W. Bush, no Republican has won a presidential election in New Hampshire.
Some experts believe that Al Gore would have become president if he had tried harder to win the Granite State. The four electoral votes would have carried him over the line and the results in Florida would not have mattered.
New Hampshire voters said they appreciate that the state is not taken for granted.
“We’re purple,” said 39-year-old mother of four Allison O’Brien of Auburn, New Hampshire. “When President Biden left office, I wondered if we would be one of the spots, so I’m really glad she decided to make this quick stop.”
O’Brien feels there is much more energy for Harris in New Hampshire.
A man in a top hat drives a car with a ‘Stop Trump’ sign in New Hampshire
Children hold signs in support of Kamala Harris on the side of the road ahead of her visit to the state
Harris meets Suzanne Foley and her daughter Eileen Marousek of Port City Pretzels during her campaign in Portsmouth, NH
“I think people are generally more engaged and excited because she brings something new to the election.”
“I’m not surprised because I’ve been following her for a while and I think she’s the type of person who doesn’t let anyone, any state, down,” said Democrat Russell Brow of Hooksett, New Hampshire.
He also admitted that the state has noticed a significant shift in enthusiasm in recent weeks.
Jim Kelley of Wakefield, New Hampshire, said his “extremely red” area is “turning a little blue” with everything going on in the world.
Overall, there is a sense that Democrats in the state are breathing a sigh of relief, both because of the change at the top of the ballot and because of Harris’ arrival.
At the same time, there is a great sense of urgency and perhaps even fear among Harris’ supporters, who remember 2016, the last time the party had a woman in the lead, and it was a neck-and-neck race.
“We got a beating when Hillary ran, and it was so painful because she was so qualified,” said Natalie Kelley, Jim’s wife. “I was terrified of [Harris]but then I saw the energy change.’
A small number of Donald Trump supporters chanted for the vice president to “go home” outside her event in New Hampshire
But New Hampshire still has its loyal Trump supporters.
Several signs for the former president were placed in yards near where Harris gave his speech on Wednesday. A number of protesters also lined the side of the road to show their support for the Republican candidate outside Harris’ event, where they chanted for the vice president to “go home.”
Trump said on social media ahead of the vice president’s visit that she “sees there are problems for her campaign in New Hampshire because they disrespected the campaign during the primaries and never showed up.”
He added, “I have protected the First-In-The-Nation Primary in New Hampshire and ALWAYS will!”
In his post, he pointed to Democrats selecting South Carolina to hold this year’s first Democratic primary, with Biden as the incumbent delegate in the Granite State. But Democrats and independents told DailyMail.com on Wednesday dismissed concerns that the change will have ramifications in 2024.
Meanwhile, a top Trump volunteer is no longer involved with the campaign, Boston Globe reported Sunday, after writing in an email to Trump volunteers in the state that the “campaign has determined that New Hampshire is no longer a deciding state.”
The campaign responded by stating that they are there.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Trump campaign to ask if the former president plans to visit the state before November 5.