Joe Kelly Levasseur signs up to run in NH-01 GOP primary, June 14, 2024.

It took until the last day of filing, but MAGA finally made the GOP primary ballot in New Hampshire.

On Friday afternoon, Manchester Alderman-at-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur formally entered the First Congressional District Republican primary. He told NHJournal he did it for one reason: To support Donald Trump.

“One hundred percent to be with Trump and to help him get his agenda through,” Levasseur said when asked why he’s running. “Stop the lawfare, stop the impeachments, stop the Democrat hit pieces on this guy. He needs allies, he doesn’t need milquetoast Republicans. He needs real, hard-core ‘America First’ Republicans in Congress.”

Levasseur is joining a field that already features businessman and military veteran Chris Bright, business owner Hollie Noveletsky, and former Executive Councilor Russell Prescott. Bright and Noveletsky are first-time candidates, while Prescott came in fourth in the 2022 GOP primary for this seat. He plans to inject a surge of Trumpian politics into what he sees as a sleepy race for the nomination.

“They’ve been running for months and months. Nobody’s been talking about it or hearing about it,” Levasseur said of the rest of the GOP field. And while he also described Noveletsky and Prescott as “very serious candidates who got in early,” he says his entrance into the race will help them.

“I think they’re going to benefit by me getting in,” Levasseur told WFEA radio host Drew Cline on Friday. “I think it’ll add a lot more energy and it will certainly focus a lot more [attention] over to this side of the district,” meaning Manchester as opposed to the seacoast.

“A lot of people know me and I think there’ll be a lot more attention on this race,” Levasseur said.

Greg Moore with Americans for Prosperity New Hampshire described Levasseur’s decision “the only real spice added during the filing period” for the September primaries. “The rest was pretty well baked into the cake.”

Not that everyone is happy about Levasseur’s decision. A frequent candidate, a combative media presence, and an outspoken member of the GOP’s populist wing, Levasseur has plenty of enemies on both sides of the aisle.

“He’s Karoline Leavitt without the money or good looks,” one New Hampshire Republican activist told NHJournal on background.

Levasseur has run for office several times before, including a narrow loss to Chris Pappas in the 2016 Executive Council race. Two years later, Pappas was elected to Congress. He’s also run for state Senate and House of Representatives, and he was elected Hillsborough County Register of Probate in 2014.

One unintended consequence of Levasseur’s candidacy could be its impact on the race for governor. Levasseur says he plans to make Manchester — and the Democrats’ poor performance there — a central part of his campaign. Which means plenty of negative attacks on former Mayor Joyce Craig.

“I want to give Joyce Craig the credit she’s due,” Levasseur told NHJournal. “She really is responsible for turning Manchester from blue to red.”

Republicans have a functioning majority on the board for the first time since 1998.

Paul Hoelscher, the mayor of Harrington Park since 1992 and a councilman from 1977 to 1983, died on June 13.  He was 82.  Since he was elected as an independent, the governing body will fill his seat on an interim basis and a special election to fill the remaining 37 months of his term.  The Democratic and Republican county committees will pick their nominees, if any, and a new filing period for independent candidates will open up.

Steven DuBois, the husband of former Salem County Republican Chair Linda Dubois, died on June 10.  He was 72.

Gordon Lawshe, the Caldwell Republican municipal chairman and a former councilman, died on June 12.  He was 72.

Richard Bowe, who served as mayor of Byram Township for sixteen years and then spent a decade as the municipal court judge.  He was

David Boynton, a former mayor of Frelinghuysen and a township committeeman for 27 years, died on June 12.  He was 77.  A Marine veteran, Boynton served in the Vietnam War.

Tina Larsen, a ten-year member of the Newton Board of Education, was killed in a car accident on March 6.  She was 54.

Ronald Gibbins, a Korean War veteran who served on the Frankford Planning Board, died on April 18.  He was 87.

Ethel Henderson, whose late husband, Henry, served as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, died on June 12.  She was 97.

Is Barron Trump planning to attend UPenn?

Barron, 18, was previously chosen by the Florida GOP to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, an offer he later declined. He often makes headlines due to his tall height and his resemblance to his mother, Melania. The only child of Donald and Melania Trump, Barron was a senior at Oxbridge Academy near West Palm Beach and recently graduated in the midst of his father’s high-profile hush money trial. About a year ago, Donald Trump mentioned that his youngest son was considering the University of Pennsylvania, where he himself attended and studied at the Wharton School.

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College decision altered by ‘rioting’

Lately, numerous prestigious colleges in the United States, such as UPenn, Columbia, and NYU, have emerged as key locations for intense pro-Palestinian protests. Across the country, more than 130 educational institutions have seen thousands of students come together to protest the current situation in Gaza, arranging rallies and establishing temporary camps. Even with over 2,000 arrests, these protests continue as colleges prepare for their upcoming graduation ceremonies.

During his interview with FOX, the Republican party’ presumptive nominee said, his son’s choice of college destination was changed due to “rioting.” Its is yet to be seen where he goes.

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UPenn plans to tackle campus protests

On June 6, the University of Pennsylvania introduced new, stringent guidelines for campus events and demonstrations. The “temporary standards and procedures” policy specifies that “encampments and overnight demonstrations are not permitted in any University location, regardless of space (indoor or outdoor). Unauthorised overnight activities will be considered trespassing and addressed.”

With the updated regulations, the university has the authority to request identification from individuals at gatherings or demonstrations to verify their affiliation with the university. Should they not be Penn students, these non-students may face more restrictions in their freedom of expression on campus compared to Penn students.