Former Governor John Lynch appeared in Wilton on Tuesday, as part of a week-long tour to promote the candidacy of Joe Biden, a candidate he said would be able to win back the White House for Democrats.
Lynch spoke at a house party for Biden hosted by Wilton selectman and State Rep. Kermit Williams.
“I trust Joe Biden is going to restore to the White House a sense of integrity, ethics, honesty, decency, competence, experience. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone do that?” Lynch asked, while speaking to a group of residents who attended the event.
Lynch touted Biden’s experience with global leaders, the ability to attract moderates while still upholding progressive values, and took a shot at President Donald Trump by noting that New Hampshire voters could sleep at night without waking up wondering what bombshell the president had tweeted overnight.
These points were selling points for attendees who said they were in favor of a Biden presidency.
“I was pretty much a supporter [of Biden] from the moment he entered the race,” Williams said. “I was hoping he would run.”
Williams said he’s attracted to Biden for his experience on the world stage, and said his more moderate approach to the Democratic platform was more likely to attract a wide range of voters.
“Being realistic, our candidate has to win in the midwest states,” Williams said. “You can’t just win millions of votes in California and not win those other demographics.”
Trent McDonald of Wilton said that as a moderate, Biden is appealing to him.
“I want a smart person in the office, who’s not going to piss off the world,” McDonald said.
Rick Miller of Greenville said he’s still undecided about the box he’ll check at the polls, and attended Tuesday’s event to gather information. Biden is on his short list, he said.
“I tend to lean moderate, but what I really want is a candidate who can beat Trump,” Miller said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m into Biden, because I think he can do it.”
While Biden has a centrist appeal, Lynch said he’s progressive in areas that matter to voters on the left. Biden is campaigning on issues such as providing two years of community college at no cost. And while he doesn’t support a Medicare-for-all plan, he has proposed expanding Medicare coverage.
Lynch will be continuing to campaign for Biden throughout the week, including a meet-and-greet in Peterborough today at 10:30 a.m., and a visit to Franklin Pierce University for a Pizza and Politics session at the DiPietro Library Cafe at noon. For more information about upcoming events, visit www.mobilize.us/joebidennh/.
Ashley Saaari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.