Twenty-Seven current, former New Hampshire State Legislators urge Elizabeth Warren to enter 2016 rac

BURLINGTON, VT. – Today, 27 current and former members of New Hampshire’s House of Representatives and State Senate joined together in a public letter urging Senator Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016.  

Find the full text of the letter and the names and towns of the 27 legislators who signed on to it available below.

The letter and display of New Hampshire legislative support for a Warren candidacy is the result of continued organizing in the Granite State by the Run Warren Run campaign, a joint effort of Democracy for America and MoveOn.org Political Action to encourage Massachusetts’ senior Senator to run for president in 2016.  

Quote from NH Rep. Renny Cushing (D - Hampton), one of the state legislators who signed today’s letter:

“We’re urging Senator Elizabeth Warren to join the 2016 race for president, because we know, first hand, how important a robust primary debate of our progressive values is to New Hampshire voters. The Granite State’s grassroots activists, the same friends and neighbors who knocked on doors and made phone calls to send us to Concord, want hear from Senator Warren in 2016, so we’re standing up to make sure their voices are heard.”

Additional quote from Kurt Ehrenberg, New Hampshire State Director for the Run Warren Run campaign: 

“These New Hampshire citizen legislators aren’t just urging Senator Warren to enter the 2016 race as some of the most important activists in the Granite State’s Democratic Party, they’re speaking out as representatives of communities all across our state that all care deeply about the future of our country.  Every day the grassroots Run Warren Run campaign is growing in New Hampshire and today’s calls from these Granite State legislators is a critical boost to that continued momentum.”

Launched last December, the Run Warren Run campaign currently has four staffers in the Granite State and an office in Manchester, as well as offices and staff in Iowa. Together, DFA and MoveOn, which jointly have more than 57,500 members in New Hampshire and 9 million members nationwide, have pledged $1.25 million to the Run Warren Run campaign.
 

Our country is at a crossroads. The rich get richer, but middle class families and those struggling to make it into the middle class work harder while falling further behind. Income inequality is at its highest since 1928 and wages remain too low. The game is rigged. 

If you work hard, if you play by the rules, it doesn’t matter where your parents were born, what color your skin is, whether you’re a woman or man, or who you love—you should be respected in our society, you should be valued, and you should be able to make ends meet. You should be able to walk down the street without fear. You should be able to live on a sustainable planet. And your voice should count in our democracy. Washington can no longer be run by lobbyists, the powerful, and corporate interests for their own advantage.

As the 2016 presidential campaign begins, it is time for Democrats to be bold, to stand for something, to propose innovative, inspiring solutions to our nation’s toughest challenges, and to stand strong for core American values. 

We need leaders who aren’t afraid to tell the truth, and fight back—no matter what powerful interests say—and we need all the candidates in the primary to offer a bold vision for an economy that works for all Americans.

Contested primaries test and strengthen candidates and ensure progressives have a chance to make our voices heard. Having a real debate is what democracy is all about.

That’s why Americans from all walks of life have risen up to encourage Senator Elizabeth Warren to run for president. Sen. Warren is a fighter for middle class and working families who has stood up to the corporate interests and Wall Street banks. We urge Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016.

One thing New Hampshire voters value is the first-in-the-nation primary, and a chance for candidates to come into our homes and libraries and community centers to talk to real voters. We look forward to all the candidates coming to New Hampshire to share their views about the critical issues that matter to us.

Sincerely, 

Sen. David Watters, Dover

Rep. Travis Bennett, Plymouth

Rep. David Borden, Rye

Rep. Wayne Burton, Durham

Rep. John Cloutier, Claremont

Rep. Renny Cushing, Hampton

Rep. Len DiSesa, Dover

Rep. Barbara French, Henniker

Rep. Daniel Hansberry, Nashua

Rep. Frank Heffron, Exeter

Rep. Timothy Horrigan, Durham

Rep. David Karrick, Warner

Rep. Douglas Ley, Jaffrey

Rep. John Mann, Alstead

Rep. Richard McNamara, Hillsborough

Rep. Marcia Moody, Newmarket

Rep. William Pearson, Keene

Rep. Larry Phillips, Keene

Rep. Timothy Robertson, Keene

Rep. Peter Schmidt, Dover

Rep. Gilman Shattuck, Hillsborough

Rep. Timothy Smith, Manchester

Rep. Charles Townsend, Canaan

Former Sen. Burt Cohen, Newcastle

Former Rep. Sylvia Gale, Nashua

Former Rep. Kenneth Grossman, Barrington

Former Rep. Chris Muns, Hampton

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