Standing, from left, Executive Council candidate Melanie Levesque, Nashua Mayor Jim
Donchess, and the chair of the NH Democratic Party Ray Buckley, addressed the gathered members of the joint caucus meeting in Nashua. Photo / Dan Splaine Photography
NASHUA, NH – Leaders and representatives of three New Hampshire Democratic Party caucuses met Saturday at Soel Sistas Cafe for a dinner party representing the growing diversity of New Hampshire.
The Black African American Caucus, the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) caucus, and the Latino Caucus came together to discuss their aligned policy interests and their election goals, and to share a meal.
Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess welcomed the group to the city and pointed out the city officials and local candidates in the room. He emphasized the importance of this upcoming election and the need to continue to work to get Democrats elected from the bottom to the top of the ticket.
He pointed out the Executive Council race and its outsized impact on NH government policy from approving spending, judicial appointments, and commissioners. With its Republican majority, they can block policies in the City of Nashua that are supported by an overwhelming majority of citizens.
Referring to Executive Council Candidate Melanie Levesque, who helped organize the event, he said, “Now, of course, once we get Melanie in there, it’ll be a totally different story. We’ll have someone that we can work with who is going to help the citizens in the city of Nashua. So we really need to work hard to get Melanie and Joyce and Kamala and everyone else on the Democratic ticket elected.”
The chair of the NH Democratic Party Ray Buckley said the diversity represented in the meeting should be celebrated. as a move forward for New Hampshire.
“This, when you look at who’s on our ballot, up and down the ballot, it should be a moment of celebration when you see the diversity of people and the empowerment this is going to make. When you look at the top of the ticket, and you just keep going down and down, and there’s all these phenomenal people that those of us who grew up in New Hampshire couldn’t even fathom 50 years ago, 40 years ago, said Buckley “So every election is a turning point. Every election is going to make a difference. But this one is particularly important because there’s been a lot of bad stuff happening in Concord and in Washington. And we have the ability to put the brakes on it completely.”
“What this caucus meeting is about is having this forum, this ability to continually reach out at election time and non-election time so that people really understand that we’re not just there when we want something, but we’re there because we want them to be powerful and strong. So whether you’re being involved in the AAPI, the Black African for American Caucus, the Latino Caucus, or any other future The important thing is to reach out and make sure that people understand how powerful they are. Your caucuses are a huge piece of that,” said Buckley.
Levesque was the first African-American to serve as an NH Senator. She reflected on the change and progress in New Hampshire’s diversity. She was a delegate to the DNC convention this summer and was proud to report, “The coolest thing happened at our convention when we had the roll call of states. In our delegation, the four people in front and the eight people that were behind them were all people of color. So New Hampshire showed the world that we are a diverse community”
Sebastian Fuentes who is working to rebuild the Latino Caucus for the State party reported the representation in this year’s races, “For this election we have about 22 of you caucus candidates running all around the state. About 50% of them are from Hillsborough County, and seven of them are in the Nashua area.”