New Hampshire may be considered a swing state and a political battleground for the upcoming presidential election, but that wasn’t always the case.
Dante Scala, an associate professor of political science at UNH, spoke Tuesday to a crowd of about 50 in Peterborough about the change in dynamics of voting in New Hampshire.
Once a predominantly red state, New Hampshire has become more purple over the past few decades.
“New Hampshire Republicans over time have found themselves out of place in their own party,” said Scala, who acknowledged that New Hampshire is traditionally socially moderate and fiscally conservative and that New Hampshire voters generally want a smaller government.
Scala was at Bass Hall on Tuesday for the Walter Peterson Forum for Civil Discourse. In addition to talking about the political shift in New Hampshire, he also discussed the rise of Donald Trump and what it could mean for American politics in the future.
“The Republican party in 10 years may look very different thanks to Trump,” said Scala. “The Tea Party was a sign of things to come. People are rebelling against Republican elites who have over-promised and under-delivered.”
Furthermore, Scala said New Hampshire was responsible for Trump becoming the Republican nominee, due to his commanding lead over John Kasich and Ted Cruz in the 2016 New Hampshire republican primary after Trump lost by a smaller margin to Cruz during the Iowa Caucus.
“If Trump lost New Hampshire, we would be telling a much different story,” said Scala. “The New Hampshire primary helped to right the ship for Trump.”
Scala said Trump’s rise could also be attributed to there being a lot of “B to B+” candidates on the Republican side that the party chose not to throw its support behind.
“The problem with Republican elites is I don’t think they know their base anymore,” said Scala.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.