Gubernatorial race mobilizes Meredith voters in state primary

MEREDITH — A large turnout of voters arrived at Meredith Community Center Tuesday to cast their ballots in the New Hampshire state primary, with the governor’s race at the forefront for their minds.

Brad Rohdenburg, 67, a Republican, said the gubernatorial election compelled him to vote on Tuesday, and he wasn’t familiar with the candidates in the other races on the ballot.

“I kick myself because I didn't research them,” he said. “I should have read more about these guys. I mostly just came to vote for Chuck Morse.”

Richard Juve, 80, a Republican, did not share who he voted for, but said he determines who to vote for by whether or not they respond to his letters. He said Kelly Ayotte, candidate for governor, never got back to him, so he cast a vote against her.

Roger Rist, 81, a friend of Juve, said he voted for Morse, and backed up his friend’s answer. He emphasized elected officials are not entitled to their own position, and are required to represent their constituents.

“They're really not our leaders, they’re our representatives, and there's a difference,” he said.

Ayotte appeared popular with other Republican voters. Diana Thomas, 79, a Republican, said she voted for Ayotte due to her policies on the economy, taxes and the border, and she liked her as a senator. She considers Ayotte’s policies to be similar to Gov. Chris Sununu's, who she also likes.

“Ayotte did a fantastic job as a senator. I've met her. I think she's very smart, knowledgeable, kind, and would represent us well in the state and continue Sununu’s principles,” Thomas said.

Cinde Warmington and Joyce Craig were both popular gubernatorial candidates on the Democratic ticket. Those who voted for either candidate seemed to have favorable views of both, but simply had a preference.

Jonathan White, 33, a Democrat, voted for Craig. One issue on his mind is education, and he believes Republicans aren’t working to fix the public school system, instead leaning toward alternative school options.

“Public school funds being redirected to private institutions like charter schools, I view it as theft. Because you're taking the public money, putting it to a private, unregulated institution,” he said.

The race for state representative also drove turnout. State Rep. Matt Coker (R) was outside the community center with campaign signs. Coker was elected in 2022 as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party. For the 2024 election, he's running on the red ticket. He thinks he has a chance to win reelection, despite the party change.

“I'll get a strong undeclared [vote], because most voters in New Hampshire, or in this district at least, are undeclared. So if you look at it, I think it's just over 50%,” he said. “So independent voters, they're voting more on issues. And I've been really diligent about putting where I am on all the issues, and really trying to focus on the issues versus the parties.”

Ernest Townsend, 80, a Republican, said he voted for Coker because he liked that he changed from Democrat to Republican, as it showed Coker’s flexibility and ability to change.

Coker’s party change drew some criticism. A national group based out of Virginia, Make Liberty Win, which aims to get candidates elected across the country who represent conservative views like small government and claim to be “pro-freedom” and “pro-constitution,” sent a representative to Meredith. Jay was canvassing to mobilize voters against Coker.

“I feel like he's a flip flopper, someone who cannot be trusted, and someone who's disingenuous, who doesn't truly represent the Republican voters in this primary,” he said. “He's been a lifelong Democrat, and then all of a sudden, in 2024, he's going to switch his party affiliation, thinking voters here in Meredith would completely forget about his Democratic record.”

Coker finds it weird he is being targeted.

“They're targeting 25 Republicans in the state, from the Speaker of the House all the way down to me,” Coker said. “It's just kind of funny to see, like, an out-of-state group here for like, a tiny town.”

Voters had no strong opinions on candidates for Congress. While some candidates like Hollie Noveletsky got shoutouts, mention of the race was few and far between. Coker believed it could be due to Rep. Chris Pappas running as an incumbent.

“Especially with the way the New Hampshire primary is so close to the general, it's hard to unseat an incumbent in New Hampshire,” Coker said. “I think when Pappas decides to move on from the House, I think it will be much more in focus race.”

Some undeclared voters were uncertain which ballot to choose, as there were issues they cared about on both tickets. Linda Karageorges, 62, said the economy and the border were primary issues for her. She was also thinking about reproductive health care rights. While not disclosing who she voted for, she believed some candidates on the Republican ballot aligned with her views.

“My reasons for voting Republican now is because, personally, I feel that the Republican Party is a lesser of two evils,” she said.