Dem Club Hosts Chris Pappas and Tom Sherman

By Anna kim, Lauren Kim, Amy Lin, and Sophie Zhu

On Monday Oct. 31, Congressman Chris Pappas, the re-elected representative for New Hampshire’s first congressional district seat, gave a speech and answered questions about his platform and policies at Exeter’s Water Street Bookstore. The event, hosted by the Academy’s Democratic Club, was open to Exonians and the public. While at the event, campaign staffers passed around T-shirts, stickers, and campaign pins for the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Senior and co head of Democratic Club Aaron Joy commented on the importance of having Chris Pappas speak to the community. “We wanted to give people the opportunity to get to know their representative a little bit better, and also learn more about the district and the problems that Chris Pappas is solving,” Joy said. “Given that the election is around the corner, we also wanted to give people extra inspiration to fight for the change we need as we knocked on doors.” 

Upper Nat Welling described their excitement for Pappas’ visit. “I’m incredibly excited that Congressman Pappas will be coming to campus! I feel like a lot of people on campus don’t realize how important the elections going on in Rockingham County (that’s the county that Exeter is in) are, and I really hope that listening to Pappas speak will open peoples eyes to how much is at stake in this year's midterms,” said Welling.  

At the event, Congressman Pappas gave a short statement to introduce himself and his priorities, as well as the policies his platform operates on. “Despite the division and the negativity that exists in politics, I've never felt more optimistic about the future of this country,” Pappas stated. “Especially when I'm with a group like you — because frankly, there's so much that's riding on your shoulders, and there's no time like today for your generation to get involved.”   

Speaking about some of the imminent problems facing the country, which he claims are challenging in many aspects, he said,  “We have an economy that is not working for everyone. We're seeing inflation and rising costs that's hitting people hard. We're seeing an assault on personal freedoms in this country as well.”

Pappas then addressed how these issues can be solved, and what he believes the government and people can do. “We have to work in a concerted effort to address those rising costs, whether it be in the energy sector, healthcare, prescription drugs, and a host of other things that people are seeing right now.” 

But it wasn’t only issues with the economic state of the nation that concerned Pappas. Elaborating on his views on things such as the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade, Pappas said, “What the Supreme Court did in overturning Roe V. Wade is something that I strongly oppose. I think we need to provide protections in the law so that people can make their own decisions about when and how to start a family, and about making sure that individuals have access to contraception to make sure that we're respecting people's privacy in this country.”

“It's really important for people to speak out this year,” Pappas continued. “We want to hear your voices. We want to make sure that everyone's part of this conversation. For those of you that are familiar with our political culture here, New Hampshire is not a right wing state. It's a state that believes in strong communities.”

Following this, Pappas moved on to another major aspect of his campaign that was focused on the environment – both on protecting our surroundings, and making sure that everyone has access to clean air and clean water. The congressman spoke about sitting in on the transportation committee, and really looking forward to the ways the communities are being remodeled in terms of infrastructure and transportation. “We're re-envisioning our communities to think about intermodal transportation, bike pedestrian transportation, bus service, rail service, which is really important as part of the mix for the future. We build it in a sustainable way that takes into consideration how the climate is changing, but also makes sure that we are reducing our emissions and the legislation we pass,” Pappas commented. “The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest effort by any country in the world to take on the challenge of climate change, and this bill alone will reduce emissions in the United States by 40 percent by the end of the decade, the year 2030.”

Pappas then touched on his views on gun violence and the way those laws can be handled in the coming months. Claiming that the NRA and gun industry have had outsized influence for too long, he described that this has prevented the government from putting people first and saving lives. Although he is optimistic about the bill passed this year, which provides enhanced background checks and invests in mental health with states that are adopting red flag laws, the politician still believes more can be done. 

“We are so close to doing a number of really important things for the country when it comes to taking on the NRA, to making sure that we're protecting a woman's right to choose, as well as making sure that this is a country that is affordable – where there are opportunities in the workforce, and where higher education is also affordable for folks,” Pappas said, describing the major underlying beliefs that surround his policies. “That is a really important issue here in New Hampshire that we have to solve.”

After he outlined his own ideas, Exonians in the audience had the opportunity to ask the congressman their own questions. 

One student inquired about the biggest challenges that the congressman experienced throughout the campaign process. “When I first ran for office during the 2020 election, we'd be knocking on people's doors,” Pappas said. “At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we suspended all those activities. It was a really remote environment, and I really didn't like it because we weren’t getting the sort of feedback and input from folks out there that we usually did.” 

He followed up with the remark,“now we're back to doing that, but I think it's taken people some time to focus on what they're comfortable doing and how they can get back out there.”

Another student asked about the congressman’s promise to get things done for the state and the idea that in Washington, partisan politics can get in the way of that. He continued, “Can you commit to your voters and constituents that you would stand against national politicians, some of those big names, and stand against what might be popular among your fellow Democrats if it means delivering that progress for New Hampshire?” 

“You have to. And whether it's this president or the last one, I mean, I've taken votes and have pushed back against whoever's in the White House if I feel like it's not right for New Hampshire. Same with our leadership in the House.” Pappas responded. 

“It's not just about stopping things and saying no,” Pappas added, a belief he followed throughout his platform. “It’s also about being proactive about how you can make things happen for New Hampshire.”

Earlier this term, Dem Club also invited New Hampshire Governor Democratic Party nominee Dr. Tom Sherman to speak at one of their meetings. During his visit, Sherman spoke with Dem Club members about his initiatives and plans for New Hampshire while also conducting a Q&A session. 

Joy explained why the club invited Tom Sherman. “Having been deeply involved with state politics for many years, Tom Sherman brings experience and a dedication to improve the lives of Granite Staters,” Joy shared. 

Senior and fellow Dem Club cohead Ophelia Bentley talked about Dr. Tom Sherman’s visit. “We had a really good turnout. The room was pretty packed. He very clearly knows all of his stuff. He’s got the statistics and evidence to back up his views. That was great,” Bentley said. “He was super engaging. We had a great Q&A where everybody was able to connect with somebody who’s a big figure in New Hampshire.”

Bentley continued, “I think it's always incredibly helpful seeing who the candidate that you're phone banking for is. It makes you understand what’s at stake much more because you're seeing how much people care about the candidate and what they stand for, and you’re also seeing how driven they are to make a change and how much they’re gonna be able to impact your change once in office.” 

Joy talked about the importance of general civic engagement. “This is such a crucial time in the state of New Hampshire and one that unfortunately hallmarks a backslide in the most basic civil liberties and opportunities for Granite Staters,” he continued, “Throughout the term, Dem Club has been supporting Democratic candidates in New Hampshire, and as Election Day nears, we’ll be doing even more.” 

Bentley described a notable Dem Club tradition on Election Day. “We're reinstating the time-honored Dem Club tradition of doing fives, which we haven't done since I was here. On election day at 5:00 AM we will load on the buses and go do Lit Drops— where we go door to door passing out campaign materials for the democratic candidates . We're trying to get as many people there as possible. There'll be food, coffee, and it'll just be a great community moment.”

“We don't care who you're voting for. We just want everybody to vote. It's a very important thing for youth to be involved. Our voice really matters and that first election is really empowering and we want to give people the opportunity to make sure that they know they can do that,” said Bentley.