CONCORD, N.H. – As the spouses of Democratic Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris traveled across the New Hampshire in closed events on Wednesday, another family member of a presidential ticket candidate could be seen on the campaign trail in the Granite State.
John Pence, the nephew of Vice President Mike Pence, talked with supporters at New Hampshire Republican Headquarters as part of his multi-day excursion across the state.
Pence echoed statements issued by New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Stephen Stepanek on the importance of this fall’s election, calling the choice between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party a choice between freedom versus control.
“In 48 days, freedom is up for a vote. There’s a party right now that values control more than they value freedom. Leaders who value control and not freedom destroy prosperity, security and opportunity,” he said to the assembled audience. “President Trump is standing up for our freedoms every single day, regardless of the criticisms.”
Pence also praised the supporters at the event and their fellow Republican volunteers across the state for knocking on 46,000 doors and making over 38,000 phone calls over the last week.
Those figures marked a contrast in styles between the Republicans’ more traditional campaign approach and the approach favored by Democrats that has emphasized reaching voters more by phone and virtual events to minimize potential hazards related to COVID-19.
For Pence, the contrasting styles of campaigning between the two parties were not a matter of safety but a difference of work ethic.
“What I can tell you is the President and the Republican Party don’t take any voter for granted and there’s no shortcut to victory in 48 days,” he said. “So doing the hard work of campaigning by knocking doors and making phone calls is how you secure four more years for President Trump. You can do that safely without having to make a binary choice of your basement or Main Street, your friends, your family and your neighbors.”
In a statement earlier in the day, New Hampshire Democratic Party Spokesman Will Rasky dismissed Pence’s trip.
“John Pence’s visit to the Granite State won’t distract voters from the failed record of his uncle Mike and their boss, President Donald Trump,” said Rasky. “John won’t be able to explain to voters how Trump knowingly led us into a catastrophic pandemic response, resulting in a recession that cost thousands of New Hampshire residents their jobs, and he can’t justify why Trump thinks Granite State service members are ‘losers’ and ‘suckers,’ so why should New Hampshire voters care at all?”
