In this double-barreled edition of the NHJournal podcast, two savvy Republican women talk about politics -- from New Hampshire's Second Congressional District to the Middle East.Morgan Ortagus is founder of Polaris National Security and a former State Department spokesperson from the Trump administration. She shares her view of the Democrats' obsession with engaging, rather than confronting, Iran -- even in the wake of the recent missile attack on Israel. Ortagus also shares what she says are the key questions New Hampshire voters should be asking candidates for Congress this year.One of those candidates is Lily Tang Williams, who discusses her views on foreign policy and how she sees the NH-02 GOP primary. "I am the frontrunner," Williams tells NHJournal.Sponsored by PerfectSmiles of Nashua.To support independent journalism at NHJournal, please click here.

On this special edition of the NHJournal podcast, Gov. Chris Sununu talks about the current state of New Hampshire politics, from education funding to Rep. Kuster's farewell to the 2024 POTUS race in the Granite State.Among the highlights:On Gov Race: "Joyce Craig might go down as the worst mayor in the history of Manchester. Even in Manchester, they didn't want the city run by Joyce Craig. Do you think the rest of the state wants it to look like Manchester? God no!"On Debating Colin Van Ostern in 2016:  "Like a lot of Democrat debaters, there were a lot of  mistruths in there, there was a lot of emotion... as opposed to the facts and figures of good management."On 2024 POTUS Race in NH: "It's going to be competitive. I didn't think that a year ago, but there's no doubt in New Hampshire, Biden's blowing it. Even the Biden team knows Trump has a shot here."SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM!Click here to "subscribe" to the NHJournal newsletter for just $4.99/month.WANT TO SPONSOR NHJOURNAL? Email News@insidesources.com.

A day after Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) abruptly announced her retirement, veteran New Hampshire GOP strategist Mike Dennehy joins the podcast to talk about what it means for Granite State politics in November 2024 --and beyond.Also, what's the current state of the NHGOP? And why are there so few "productive losses" in Granite State politics?Brought to you by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.To "subscribe" to NHJournal and support independent journalism for $4.99/month, click here.

NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham asks the question all the political insiders are asking across the Granite State: Are the 2024 elections already over?The GOP primary was over months before FITN primary day -- why not the November general elections? After all, they both involve Trump.The answer may surprise you as much as it surprised Graham.ALSO: Meet First Congressional District GOP primary candidate Chris Bright. He tells his story, from graduating West Point to entering the primary.Want to "subscribe" to NHJournal for just $4.99/month? Just click here -- and thanks!

What do the turnout numbers from the First in the Nation primary tell us about the votes for governor in September's statewide primaries? What can we glean about November's final Biden v Trump showdown from their performances in January? NHJournal asked one of New Hampshire's premier numbers crunchers, Greg Moore with Americans For Prosperity.Hosted by Michael Graham at NHJournal.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

On this special edition of the podcast, NHJournal presents a pundit roundtable the morning after the Iowa caucuses. What does Trump's big win mean for the Granite State and its First in the Nation primary?We ask veteran GOP strategists Pat Griffin and Jim Merrill, and New England College Professor of Politics Nathan Shrader. Hosted by Michael Graham.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

On this edition of the NHJournal podcast, we talk to First Congressional District GOP primary candidate Hollie Noveletsky. CEO of Novel Iron Works in Greenland, and a veteran of the Army Nurse Corps Reserves and New Hampshire National Guard, Noveletsky told NHJournal she got tired of complaining about America's crisis."Either I have to stop complaining about everything that's going on and accept it,  or step up and fight."More about Hollie's campaign here.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

On this special "We were supposed to be off this week and not do a podcast" edition of the podcast, we talk to former S. C. Gov. Nikki Haley from the car as she makes her way between campaign stops in the North Country.Obviously we talk about her less-than-ideal answer to the Civil War question during the town hall in Berlin, but also get her answer to the questions that have since been raised about her campaign. Can she handle hard questions? Is she tough enough to be the GOP nominee and take on the overwhelming tide of negative press that would follow?Also, we make a quick pitch for end-of-year support from those of you who like what NHJournal is doing and want to help us keep up the good work in 2024. (Click here to help!)Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News' director of elections and surveys and the man behind the poll that pushed the New Hampshire primary into a new gear. The CBS News poll gave Nikki Haley 29 percent support, just 15 points behind Donald Trump. He joins the NHJournal podcast to talk about what he sees in the New Hampshire numbers.And then former NHGOP state party chairman Fergus Cullen gives his analysis of the #FITN Republican primary, and why he believes the entire nomination fight could come down to South Carolina -- thanks to the help of New Hampshire.Hosted by Michael GrahamSponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua

Kari Lake is best known for being an unapologetic MAGA candidate for Arizona governor and a committed Donald Trump supporter. So listeners may be surprised to hear the message of unity she brought to New Hampshire during a recent campaign swing through the state.And state Sen. Dan Innis, a professor at UNH, talks about the flier an anti-Israel student left on his car last week, yet another sign of the political turmoil that continues to hit New Hampshire politics as the Israel-Hamas war continues. Hosted by Michael Graham of NHJournal.com.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

Live from the Airport Diner in Manchester, NHJournal presents Diner Table Economics!Want to hear the specific economic proposals from the people who want to be the next president of the United States? You’ll get it here, straight from the candidates themselves, over a cup of coffee at the iconic Airport Diner.No “horserace politics,” no “politics of personality,” just a 25-minute conversation about jobs, inflation, taxes, and spending. The policy positions from regulation to tax reform that impact the daily lives of Granite Staters and all Americans.Sponsored by the Competitiveness Coalition.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) leads one of the most economically-free states in the union (but not the MOST free, right, Gov. Sununu?) On this edition of the NHJournal podcast, he has a message for NH GOP primary voters: I understand how big government leads to unintended consequences. From COVID to EVs to tobacco bans, DeSantis says government mandates often make their own problems.Plus, his take on the latest from Israel and its war with the Hamas terrorists, and the odd reaction from progressives in the U.S.Hosted by Michael Graham of NHJournal.com.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

Emerson College Director of Polling Spencer Kimball's new poll of Granite State primary voters is full of surprises for Joe Biden -- and not necessarily good ones. And, Kimball says, Trump's lead in the GOP primary is beginning to approach the "I" word status ("Insurmountable?" "Inevitable?")That's all part of the New Hampshire Journal podcast, plus our conversation with Rich Gulla, head of the SEA/SEIU in New Hampshire. If you're expecting the usual Big Labor cliches from the head of the state employee's union, you're in for a surprise here, too. All made possible by our sponsor, Dr. Bruce Houghton at Perfect Smiles of Nashua.Hosted by Michael Graham.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is on the NHJournal podcast, fresh from his debate with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. The GOP POTUS candidate talks about the massive ideological divide that exists in American politics. He also shares what New Hampshire voters tell him they want to talk about, and he offers his take on the NH Dems' new push for more gun control in the wake of the horrific mass shooting in Maine.Also, the host's take on the current state of the First in the Nation primary, and the potential impact of Rep. Dean Phillips' candidacy on the Democratic race.Hosted by Michael GrahamSponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips has rolled into the Granite State to turn the Democratic First in the Nation primary into a real race. Ana Radelat with the MinnPost.com covers Gopher State politics and she has the info every potential primary voter should know before they cast their (write-in?) ballot.And we caught up with Casey DeSantis at the Red Arrow Diner in Londonderry and got her take on how GOP primary voters are feeling about the POTUS race and the nation.All of that, after a (mostly) brief rant from  NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham about the stomach-churning level of humiliating obsequiousness NH Democrats have achieved in the wake of Joe Biden's attempt to kill the FITN primary.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

On this edition of the NHJournal podcast, veteran NHGOP strategist Jim Merrill gives his prognosis of the current state of the First in the Nation primary, and the impact of "Leeroy Jenkins Caucus" on Republican politics.And former Rep. Pat Abrami (R-Stratham) is now the chair of the new charitable gaming review commission, and he talks about the challenges ahead for an industry whose revenue has exploded but now finds itself dealing with scandal.Sponsored by PerfectSmiles.com Hosted by Michael Graham.

Suffolk University's David Paleologos has just released a new FITN GOP primary poll, with some fascinating results about the horse race, how the voters see it,  and whether Gov. Chris Sununu can send a candidate to the next level with a Granite State endorsement. Paleologos also discusses the current state of polling, and why a third party candidacy may be more than just a dream in 2024.Plus -- LAND SHARKS!Hosted by Michael GrahamShow notes: Link to upcoming Keep NH Free roundtable here.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is our guest on the NHJournal podcast, talking about his candidacy for president, the need for an experienced executive in the White House, and the amazing things he can do with rope!Also, a discourse on the new political meme that the Granite State's GOP primary is being "overlooked" in favor of the Iowa caucuses as POTUS candidates like Burgum (and DeSantis and Scott, etc) plant their flags in the Hawkeye State.Don't believe it!Hosted by Michael Graham of NHJournal.

On this special edition of the New Hampshire Journal podcast, Gov. Ron DeSantis recounts his COVID experience -- from the day he first heard about a new virus beginning to spread, to his current political battle with former President Donald Trump over COVID policy.Once denounced as "Death-Santis" for his refusal to close beaches and aggressively reopen schools, DeSantis recounts why he made the decisions he did, what he learned about leading during a crisis and why his friends were more worried about his political future than he was.Is Trump right that DeSantis  "shut down Florida. It was tight as a drum?" Did the Florida governor have "no doubt" about sending kids back to school in the fall of 2020?It's all part of the conversation.Hosted by NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham.

Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms For Liberty, has a question for you: "Why are parental rights so threatening to so many people in America?" It's one of the many topics she covers with NHJournal Managing Editor Michael Graham in this edition of the NHJournal podcast, along with her response to attacks from the leftwing SPLC about Moms For Liberty being an "extremist" organization.But before that, Michael Graham rolls through some eye-popping numbers post-Labor Day that put the FITN GOP primary into perspective, as well as an analysis of what Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut's departure from the GOP governor's primary might mean for the race -- and the Republican Party.Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.