The Steve Marchand Podcast
by Steve Marchand
Steve is a longtime political professional in New Hampshire whose worn about every hat you can: A former mayor and gubernatorial candidate who has managed races for governor, congress, NH's First in the Nation Primary, and every possible downballot race. He now uses his experience and analytics background to run his Democratic advocacy organization, Move The Goalposts, and authors a successful Substack, The Politics of New Hampshire. On this podcast, Steve talks state and national politics with politicians, operatives, journalists, and you.
Episodes
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E84: Election Eve Preview
Monday night, I hosted a Substack Live with some last-minute updates and projections for downballot Democrats in New Hampshire. The headline: All signs point to a promising set of outcomes for Democrats, particularly in the NH House, and possibly in the State Senate and Executive Council, as…
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E83: Hillsborough 18, with Rep. Jess Grill
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E82: Rockingham 29, with Molly McCoy
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E81: Grafton 3, with Jerry Stringham
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E80: Sullivan 5, with Judy Thackaberry
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E79: Belknap 2, with Dean Cascadden
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E78: Strafford 4, with Kimberly McGlinchey
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E77: Sullivan 6, with Chris Cogswell
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E76: Merrimack 5, with Thomas Ware
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E75: Hillsborough 12, with Heather Robitaille
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E74: Carroll 6, with Phoebe VanScoy Giessler
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E73: Hillsborough 12, with Rep. Rosemarie Rung
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E72: Hillsborough 26, with Rep. Pat Long
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E71: Merrimack 12, with Mariana Beer & Ken Nivison
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E70: Merrimack 10, with Lucas Coriaty & Will Lynch
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E69: Merrimack 4, with Cody York
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E68: Hillsborough 36, with Steve Spratt
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E67: Hillsborough 2, with Rep. Catherine Rombeau
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E66: Hillsborough 2, with Jeff Kerr & Todd Fahey
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E65: Rockingham 17, with Darryn Remillard
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E64: Grafton 18, with Marko Kloos
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E63: Carroll 6, with Deirdre McEachern
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E62: Hillsborough 29, with Chris Calhoun
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E61: Hillsborough 44, with Chris Conroy
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E60: Sullivan 8, with Rep. Hope Damon & Sam Deering
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E59: Grafton 9, with Ella Barrett
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E58: Carroll 3, with Todd Milliken
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E57: Rockingham 19, with Wendy Larson
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E56: Carroll 3, with Bryan Randolph
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E55: Strafford 19, with Jonathan King
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E54: Grafton 10, with Marc Bourassa
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E53: Hillsborough D42, w/Teri Harkins, Lee Nyquist, & Pete Ryder
In the week leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, Steve hosted 30+ conversations with NH House candidates in many of the most competitive, interesting House districts in the state. Control of the House is on the line, and one of the best ways to understand what is going on in state and…
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E52: Rebecca Harned Could Be NH Dems' 13th Senator
Less than two weeks before Election Day, NH State Senate District 7 is setting up to be a nailbiter. The sprawling 22-community district, largely north and west of Concord, includes everything from deep-red rural towns to strong Democratic college towns. Rebecca Harned is the Democratic…
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E51: Will the NH Supreme Court Overturn Claremont?, w/Dave Luneau
Earlier today (Friday, October 16th), the members of a key 2020 NH Commission to Study School Funding collectively filed an amicus brief to the NH Supreme Court in support of the 2025 Rand vs. State of NH decision. That decision, which said that the state was not meeting the minimum standards of...
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E50: How Senate District 9 Became the Center of NH’s Political Universe, w/Matt McLaughlin
New Hampshire's State Senate District 9, centered in one of the state's biggest and highest profile suburbs, Bedford, may be the most closely watched downballot races of 2026. GOP State Senator Denise Ricciardi is in her third term representing this district, which was redrawn after her first...
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E49: Talking About NH's Question 2
On Wednesday, October 7th, Nicole Bump and Steve did a Substack Live about a rare (for New Hampshire) ballot question appearing this November 3rd across the state: "Question 2", which would restrict local school tax spending increases to inflation + growth to the property tax base. You can read…
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E48: Carryl Roy & NH's Bellwether Senate District
New Hampshire's State Senate District 12 may be my favorite downballot district in the entire state. (This is quite a statement, given that there are 203 House districts and 24 Senate districts in a state of 1.4 million people.) Located near the Massachusetts border, it's about an R+1 district…
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E47: Is Leonard Bell 2026's State Senate "Upset Special"?
In the battle for New Hampshire's state senate, District 18 is oddly both one of the most competitive districts...and perhaps the most overlooked of 2026. It includes most of the south and southeastern wards of Manchester, plus the Republican-but-trending-purple town of Litchfield. After several...
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E46: Breaking: NH's Supreme Court Chief Justice Resigns
On Tuesday, news broke that New Hampshire State Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald was resigning, effective immediately. The real surprise, though, given that MacDonald was on an increasingly mysterious medical leave of absence, was the reason for his resignation: Three specific...
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E45: How NH's Transportation Plan Got Around Ayotte's Veto, w/Karen Liot Hill
In an unexpected series of events earlier this summer, Governor Kelly Ayotte ignored rare bipartisan agreement on a major issue - updating New Hampshire's 10-year Transportation Improvement Plan - vetoing a bill that would have funded major projects on I-93, going right through two of the three...
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E44: Melanie Levesque
Melanie Levesque has been deeply involved in NH electoral politics for 20 years, starting with her 2006 flip of a State House seat in Brookline, through her 2018 victory in the State Senate, to her current run for the Executive Council against longtime incumbent David Wheeler. It's a rematch of...
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E43: Cinde Warmington
Cinde Warmington is the presumptive Democratic nominee for New Hampshire Governor in 2026 - and she's got a better chance of pulling off the victory than you probably think. First-term incumbent GOP Governor Kelly Ayotte has kept a generally low-key demeanor while a much harder-charging, Free…
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E42: What's Next for the New Hampshire Primary?
New Hampshire's status as "First In the Nation" for selecting presidential nominees - at least in the Democratic side - is under attack like never before. In late July, a key group within the Democratic National Committee (DNC) recommended which six states should begin the presidential primary...
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E41: The Politics of Crime, w/Rep. Buzz Scherr
Albert "Buzz" Scherr has a remarkably deep and well-rounded career in the topic: A nationally recognized authority on forensic DNA evidence, he spent more than 12 years as a public defender, 20+ years as a trial and appellate lawyer, and has handled more than 40 homicide cases. He’s also a member...
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E40: Will a Nation Turn its Political Eyes to NH...in August?
A lot has happened in the last few weeks in the two Democratic and GOP primaries in NH's CD-1 that could be greatly simplifying those races. But the emerging story in New Hampshire could be the Democratic primary for...U.S. Senate. Democratic Socialist candidates have been making news in several...
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E39: Rebecca Harned Joins "Pitch Deck"
Rebecca Harned is the Democratic nominee in New Hampshire's State Senate District 7, one of the most competitive and important downballot races in the state in 2026. The Senate is currently controlled by the GOP 16-8, though a number of those 16 GOP-held seats are considered competitive in what...
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E38: Lisa Kennedy Sheldon Joins "Pitch Talk"
Lisa Kennedy Sheldon is running for elected office for the first time, but she's got the campaign slogan down: "Because you can care about people *and* the bottom line". It's a reflection of a distinguished - and diverse - career in nursing, as an executive, and as an educator.Sheldon is running…
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E36: The Inaugural Episode of Pitch Talk, with Dian McCarthy
This episode is a recording of a live event from June 18th with NH State Senate District 16 candidate Dian McCarthy. It's the first episode of a 2026 series I'm calling "Pitch Deck". Over the next 4+ months, I want to dive in on a number of the most intriguing, interesting, and important…
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E37: Scott Shepard Wants NH to Ask the Right Questions
Scott Shepard is a candidate for State Representative in NH in Strafford 4 - one of the most competitive, "purple", and politically interesting districts in the state...but that's *not* why I wanted to sit down with him. Scott has a Substack, NH Insights, that is approaching the biggest public...
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E35: NH Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley
NH Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley is the longest serving state party chair in America, going back to 2007. He has truly seen it all, being involved in state politics for over 50 years (he started well before he could get a driver's license) - from growing up with the state being a safe...
About this show
Steve is a longtime political professional in New Hampshire whose worn about every hat you can: A former mayor and gubernatorial candidate who has managed races for governor, congress, NH's First in the Nation Primary, and every possible downballot race. He now uses his experience and analytics background to run his Democratic advocacy organization, Move The Goalposts, and authors a successful Substack, The Politics of New Hampshire. On this podcast, Steve talks state and national politics with politicians, operatives, journalists, and you.
Hosted by
Steve Marchand