by Ray Cardello for December 23, 2022 Season 15 / Post 13

It took a while for people to realize that Karoline Leavitt was mature enough to send her to Washington to represent New Hampshire’s First Congressional District. She was a young unknown, and though she worked hard to garner support, she did not get ample coverage from the media. She was also at a substantial disadvantage on the money side. Pappas had over $5 Million in his chest, while Leavitt had $3.6 Million in hers. It was a good amount for Leavitt, but she also had a primary to endure.

The scheduling of the NH Primary favors the incumbent. Pappas and Senator Maggie Hassan were in the media a full year before the midterms. They did not have a Primary to contend with, so they spent time and money gaslighting New Hampshire on how incredible they were for the state. With the Primary in September, Leavitt and Don Bolduc had little time to raise funds and formulate a solid midterm plan. I hope the state will push the Primary up in the future. The primary winner needs more time to go head-to-head with the incumbent.

Karoline made no major mistakes and was a solid debater. Her ability to think on the fly showed her grasp of the issues and how well she had prepared. The problem with debates is they are not viewed by many. The one thing we have learned is that elections today are determined by the independents. You will not swing the Democrats and should have the support of the Republicans. But the number of people who define themselves as undeclared is a growing voter block. In my small town, more registered voters are undeclared than Democrats and Republicans combined.

I do not understand why people choose not to declare. These folks used to be called independent, but over the last twenty years, there has been no middle ground in politics. This division makes it extremely difficult to understand the makeup of government in New Hampshire. We have a Republican controlled state government and four Democrats representing us in Washington. It makes no sense.

The next two years are going to be very difficult for Democrat incumbents. If the Border situation remains unchecked, the Fentanyl epidemic a non-issue, and the economy in malaise, those Democrats up for election may find themselves on the outside looking back in. Karoline will be well positioned to take another run at Chris Pappas. She can shed that just-left-college stigma, and people may see her as the vibrant, intelligent woman she is. Hopefully, the Party and the RNC will get behind her and get her the funds she will need to compete on a level field with Pappas.

Karoline has been teasing this week that an announcement is forthcoming on her next move, and obviously, she has to be fully committed if she runs. There are rumors that she may land a contributor position on FOX. That would be a positive should she still have another political run in her system. The exposure would be like free ad spots; she will be treated well with all the Conservatives on the FOX staff. I hope she does return. With her age, energy, and solid Conservative thinking, she can have a long career representing the good people of New Hampshire.