The women voters of New Hampshire

Your definitive guide to women, politics and power.

Jan 26, 2024 View in browser   By Sophie Gardner POLITICO illustration/Photos by Getty Images; iStock Hi Rulers! This week I took a road trip to the Granite State to chat with some women voters about why they chose their candidate in the primary. Here’s what two of them had to say, a Haley voter and a Trump voter:  On Tuesday, Courtney Clark cast her vote for Donald Trump. She was happy to vote for the former president again based on his policies alone. But after learning about his legal trials, she was even more determined to vote for him. “The way that he's been treated since he's left office has forced me to like him even more,” Clark told Women Rule outside of a middle school in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, minutes after casting her ballot. Clark, who is a 52-year-old inspector in the railroad industry, believes Trump’s trials are politically motivated — by President Joe Biden and by district attorneys who, she says, “campaigned on putting him in jail.” She’s an independent, so she “listened to all the candidates,” but her head couldn’t be turned. New Hampshire voter Courtney Clark is pictured. | Sophie Gardner/POLITICO She’s angry about Biden’s performance on immigration, and she wants a stricter border policy which she thinks Trump will deliver. She also praised Trump for the Abraham Accords, which she thinks brought “some semblance of peace in the Middle East” — though they have remained in effect throughout the Biden administration. On abortion, she describes herself as “in the middle.” “I don’t think it should be used as a form of birth control, I don’t think it should be past 16 weeks,” she said. Trump, she says, is like-minded politically — so she’s willing to overlook some things: “I may not like how he speaks. I may not like his persona. But his policies were number one.” Like for many people, the Trump phenomenon has changed Clark’s familial dynamics. She says her family is politically like-minded, but she does have some Democratic family members who have “opted out of the family.” She hopes 2024 will be less divisive, but she’s not optimistic. “I just hope he doesn't get sidelined or put in jail by his political opponent.” *** The ideology behind Tara Chynoweth’s decision to vote for Nikki Haley can be summed up in two words: “not Trump.” Chynoweth is a 44-year-old independent, and she’s tired of Trump being the end-all-be-all of the Republican Party. “I really don't want to see Trump again,” Chynoweth, who works in environmental health and safety compliance, told Women Rule outside of a polling location in Manchester. That was the deciding factor in her vote. And she says if it’s a Trump v. Biden rematch in November, she’ll vote Biden. (She voted for Hilary in 2016 and Biden in 2020.) But she also likes some things about former U.N. ambassador Haley. New Hampshire voter Tara Chynoweth is pictured. | Sophie Gardner/POLITICO She saw Haley speak in-person several times in the state and was impressed with how she addressed abortion. “I like her understanding and her willingness to compromise,” Chynoweth told Women Rule. She thinks Haley’s stance is less hard line than other Republicans, like Trump — even though Haley is still anti-abortion. “It’s more of a ‘Let's talk about it, and see what we can do to figure it out’ type-thing.” She also thinks Haley has a better chance of beating Biden in a general election — an argument Haley has recently been playing up in her campaign but is looking murkier in recent polls. But Chynoweth thinks Haley’s more moderate rhetoric will help her attract a wider audience. “I feel like she is more moderate. I know she's conservative, but if it was Biden and Nikki in the general, I think she has a good shot.” POLITICO Special Report Stephen B. Morton/AP “‘They’ve all turned their backs on her’: Haley hosts a homecoming in a hostile state,” by Natalie Allison for POLITICO: “Haley returned to South Carolina after a third-place finish in Iowa and, after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out, a second-place showing in New Hampshire. But with Trump winning both states convincingly, pressure is mounting on Haley even here to abandon her campaign.” “Ex-employee accuses scandal-plagued Capitol manager's office of ‘sexist environment’” by Katherine Tully-McManus and Daniel Lippman for POLITICO: “Christine Leonard, the ex-director of legislative and public affairs for the agency that oversees operation and maintenance of the Capitol complex, filed a claim Wednesday afternoon against her former employer, accusing the agency of improperly firing her after she reported sexism and discrimination. ”   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      Number of the Week Read more here. MUST READS LM Otero/AP “64K women and girls became pregnant due to rape in states with abortion bans, study estimates,” by Megan Lebowitz for NBC News: “The research letter, published by JAMA Internal Medicine and headed up by the medical director at Planned Parenthood of Montana, estimated that nearly 520,000 rapes were associated with 64,565 pregnancies across 14 states, most of which had no exceptions that allowed for terminations of pregnancies that occurred as a result of rape.” “Women added to Cop29 climate summit committee after backlash,” by Damian Carrington for The Guardian. “The three genders, per one GOP super PAC: Male, working woman and homemaker,” by Grace Panetta for The 19th News: “Those are the categories given in a survey sent out to Montanans on behalf of the super PAC More Jobs, Less Government, which is supporting Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy.” “Mayor Adams investing $40M to give NYC women a greater leg-up as disparities persist,” by David Cruz for The New York Daily News. Quote of the Week Read more here. on the move Paris Kissel has launched her own public relations firm, bekind comms. She was previously director at New Heights Communications. Casey Peeks and Veronica Goodman are joining the Center for American Progress. Peeks will be senior director of early childhood policy and previously was director of federal policy at the Children’s Defense Fund. Goodman will be senior director for workforce development policy and previously was a policy adviser for Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). (h/t Playbook)   Follow us on Twitter Sophie Gardner @sophie_gardnerj   Follow us

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