New Hampshire

New Hampshire Primary Voters Can Send Biden a Powerful Message About Gaza

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

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New Hampshire Primary Voters Can Send Biden a Powerful Message About Gaza

Politics

/
January 18, 2024

A campaign to write in the word “cease-fire” seeks to pressure the administration to shift its policy.

U.S. President Joe Biden returns to the White House December 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.

(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

Andru Volinsky is a prominent New Hampshire Democrat. He served as a member of the state’s elected Executive Council, and nearly won the race to become the party’s gubernatorial nominee in 2020.

But on Tuesday, when New Hampshire holds its traditional first-in-the-nation presidential primary, Volinsky won’t be voting for President Biden. Instead, he will take his Democratic ballot, find the line for presidential write-ins, and print the word “cease-fire.”

“I’m not interested in replacing Biden,” says Volinsky, who expects that he will be voting for the president in November. “This is about getting a message to Biden about the urgent need for a cease-fire in Gaza.”

Volinsky won’t be alone. A grassroots movement has taken shape in the Granite State, one that’s urging voters in Tuesday’s primary to use their ballot to send a “cease-fire” signal in support of “de-escalation, humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and a just solution to the conflict in the Middle East.”

New Hampshire’s Vote Ceasefire campaign seeks to “draw attention to the urgent need to stop the violence in Palestine and the Middle East,” and let President Biden know that the United States must take action to end the killing in Gaza. And it’s gaining traction.

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Cover of December 25, 2023/January 1, 2024, Issue

Organizers have been fielding calls from across the state and around the country. They’re spreading the word on social media and distributing signs that urge voters to take a pen to the polls and register their discontent with the administration’s support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the brutal assault on Gaza that has left more than 24,000 Palestinians dead, severely wounded tens of thousands and displaced an estimated 1.9 million men, women, and children.

That assault on Gaza, which followed the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli kibbutzim and a music festival, has sparked an international outcry. In the United States, it has inspired mass demonstrations by American Muslims, Jews, and Christians calling for an end to the violence. It has also sparked significant dissension within Biden’s Democratic Party, as close to 60 members of the House and four Democratic senators have expressed support for a cease-fire.

But the Biden administration has not shifted its stance on the war. It continues to provide military aid for the Israel Defense Forces, as well as to push for Congress to fund additional aid. It’s also kept providing diplomatic cover for Netanyahu’s government at the United Nations. That’s led to frustration in New Hampshire, where Biden will face the first test of his 2024 reelection campaign.

This year’s New Hampshire primary is not sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, and Biden’s name will not appear on the ballot with those of his most prominent challengers, author and 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson and US Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minnesota. But there’s an active and reasonably well-financed campaign to write in Biden’s name. If there is a substantial anti-Biden vote in the primary, it’s likely to get the president’s attention—and that of Democratic strategists and pundits—at a point when his approval ratings are already low.

So the Vote Ceasefire campaign is seizing the opening. “We have tried to make our voices heard in Washington. We have been ignored,” says Morgan Brown, a New Hampshire activist who was busy organizing efforts to distribute posters, yard signs and flyers urging New Hampshire Democrats to send their message to Biden by writing in “Cease-fire.” “The problem is the Democratic Party only cares about their votes, and that’s why we need to take this to the polls.”

The write-in vote won’t be the only way to send a pro-cease-fire message. Williamson, who for months has been calling for de-escalation and who has made a progressive critique of the Biden administration’s foreign policy central to her candidacy, says the best way to pressure Biden is by backing her, “a candidate who has demanded a ceasefire from the very beginning.” Phillips has also indicated that he’s supportive of a cease-fire.

“I think that the combined votes for the ‘cease-fire’ write-in and for Marianne Williamson could send a powerful message on Tuesday,” says Alan Minsky, the executive director of Progressive Democrats of America. “I don’t know if it will be as big as the Eugene McCarthy ’68 anti-war vote, but people will certainly notice if activists can point to a significant number of votes that were cast in protest against the administration’s approach on Gaza.”

A 1968 challenge to Democratic President Lyndon Johnson by McCarthy, an anti-war senator from Minnesota, drew support from 42 of New Hampshire Democratic primary voters and shocked the political world, beginning a chain of events that would eventually lead to Johnson’s decision to end his reelection bid. Few are predicting that the grassroots Vote Ceasefire campaign, which started late and has almost no money behind it, will get that level of support. But if a significant percentage of New Hampshire voters write in “cease-fire,” it is likely that Vote Ceasefire campaigning will spread beyond the border of the Granite State, says Minsky.

Volinsky says organizers of the New Hampshire campaign have already heard from activists in other states. But, for now, they are focused on spreading the word to New Hampshire voters, and on making sure that the national media takes note if there is a large “cease-fire” vote on Tuesday. To that end, campaigners will be closely monitoring the count of so-called “scattered” write-in votes to ensure that their message is delivered to the White House

“The Biden administration was able to veto the United Nations resolution on a humanitarian cease-fire,” says Volinsky. “But on Tuesday they won’t be able to veto my vote demanding a cease-fire.”

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John Nichols

John Nichols is a national affairs correspondent for The Nation. He has written, cowritten, or edited over a dozen books on topics ranging from histories of American socialism and the Democratic Party to analyses of US and global media systems. His latest, cowritten with Senator Bernie Sanders, is the New York Times bestseller It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.

Nashua Man Had Baggies Of Cocaine, Fentanyl, And Meth Inside Coalition Apartment Building, Concord Cops Say

Published

5 hours ago

May 22, 2026

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Nashua Man Had Baggies Of Cocaine, Fentanyl, And Meth Inside Coalition Apartment Building, Concord Cops Say

CONCORD, NH — The fifth person arrested during a drug raid at the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness apartment building downtown is due back in court for a probable cause hearing next month.

Wilkie Gabriel Reyes Reynoso, 27, of Kendrick Street in Nashua, was arrested on May 14 on three felony counts of possession of a controlled drug.

On May 13, just before midnight, police executed a search warrant at an apartment in the Coalition’s new building on South State Street. The warrant was for the apartment and anyone located inside, according to an affidavit.

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Earlier in the evening, Denise Davenport, 57, who listed the address as her residence despite being trespassed from all Concord Coalition properties, was picked up on an electronic bench warrant as well as two felony counts of acts prohibited-sale of controlled drugs.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and Concord District Court and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Officers arrived at the apartment and detained multiple people.

Reyes Reynoso was accused of possessing a baggie of fentanyl, a baggie of methamphetamine, and two baggies of cocaine. He also had a cell phone vape, a cell phone, and $295 in cash, the affidavit said. Reyes Reynoso was processed and held on preventative detention.

Crystal Marquis Credit: Concord Police Department

Crystal Marquis, 46, of Concord, on a resisting arrest or detention charge.

Brittany Price Credit: Concord Police Department

Brittany Price, 29, of Concord, on a Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department warrant on a theft by unauthorized taking charge, as well as warrants from the Hooksett police, Brentwood District Court, and two Franklin District Court warrants. Another man, in his late 40s, was detained but has not been charged, according to police documents. According to the affidavit, “(he) was searched and nothing was located on his person.”

Reyes Reynoso was deemed “indigent” by Judge Ryan Guptill and given a public defender. He was released on personal recognizance after being arraigned on May 14 and is due back in Concord District Court for a probable cause hearing on June 8.

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New Hampshire

Stabbing Victim Dies, Man Faces Murder Charge | Riot At The Beach, Dozens Arrested | More: PM Patch NH

Published

17 hours ago

May 21, 2026

Press Room

Stabbing Victim Dies, Man Faces Murder Charge | Riot At The Beach, Dozens Arrested | More: PM Patch NH

Community Corner

Also: Massive brush fire goes to 4 alarms; small businesses raise concerns about labor shortage; Planet Fitness bathroom policy under fire.

Posted Thu, May 21, 2026 at 5:07 pm ET

CONCORD, NH — Here are some share-worthy stories from the New Hampshire Patch network to discuss this afternoon and evening.

This post features stories and information published during the past 24 hours.

Ayotte Kicks Off New Hampshire’s Summer Travel And Tourism Season With Ice Cream And Apple Crisp: Video: Officials say New Hampshire’s Original Ice Cream Trail offers 69 “must-visit” shops in every part of the Granite State this summer.

Find out what’s happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Manchester Man Accused Of Stabbing Another Man Outside Queen City Gas Station: Antonio Cajigas was charged with one count of second-degree murder for causing the death of Christopher Marcoux by stabbing him on Monday.

Hampton Beach Sees 51 Arrests After Fights Prompt Unlawful Assembly Declaration: Police said 127 calls for service were logged, and charges include riot, assault, driving under the influence, and disorderly conduct.

Find out what’s happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Concord, Other Firefighters Extinguish Massive Brush Fire Near Webster Town Line: Video: With some help from the National Guard, firefighters and forestry units found several fires near power lines off Blackwater Road Wednesday.

Concord Planet Fitness Bathroom Controversy Puts Statehouse Bill Battle In Spotlight: When Judy Walcott raised concerns about a man in the women’s bathroom, PF canceled her membership, charged an extra month, and called cops.

Help Wanted: NH Small Businesses Say Labor Shortage Still Top Concern: The National Federation of Independent Business says finding qualified workers and dealing with the impacts of inflation are big concerns.

Milford Trout Fishing Derby At Ryefield Farm Offers Free Entry, Food, Prizes: Former WWE Superstar Ted Arcidi is hosting a free trout fishing derby in Milford with stocked fishing and tagged trout prizes.

Concord Artist Saad Hindal Chosen To Design 52nd Annual Market Days Festival Poster: The new poster contest invited Concord Arts Market artists to create a design reflecting Market Days and Concord.

Teacher Of The Year Down To 3 | Indictments | Cheapest Gas For Memorial Day Weekend | More: PM Patch NH: Executive councilor makes right-to-know request concerning murder-suicide case; Granite State Challenge finals; neo-Nazi trial delayed.

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Here are some more posts about where to find cheap gas in your community.

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New Hampshire

Memorial Day 2026: Parades, ceremonies in Seacoast NH and Maine listed here

Published

1 day ago

May 21, 2026

Press Room

Memorial Day 2026: Parades, ceremonies in Seacoast NH and Maine listed here

Special to Seacoastonline
| Portsmouth Herald

Portsmouth: Wreath-laying ceremony and parade with ‘rare’ route

The city announced its Memorial Day observances for 2026, beginning with the annual wreath‑laying ceremony on Friday, May 22, at 11 a.m. in Prescott Park.

The event, held rain or shine, will feature a performance by the Portsmouth Middle School ensemble and a wreath placed on the Piscataqua River to honor service members lost at sea.

On Monday, May 25, at 1 p.m., the city will host a Memorial Day/250th Commemorative Parade. The parade will step off from Parrott Avenue, turn onto Richards Avenue, pause for a wreath‑laying at the Logan’s Orders monument in South Cemetery, then continue along South Street to Junkins Avenue before returning to Parrott Avenue. Portions of Richards Avenue and South Street will be closed to parking and traffic during the event. In case of rain, a ceremony will be held inside City Hall Council Chambers.

The Recreation Department is encouraging residents along the route to decorate and watch from their porches, noting Portsmouth does not host a Memorial Day parade every year and a parade along Richards Avenue and this stretch of South Street is “especially rare.”

City facilities will be closed on Monday, May 25, and there will be no trash or recycling pickup that day; Monday’s collection will be combined with Tuesday’s. The Portsmouth Public Library and Community Campus will be closed May 23–25.

Also on Memorial Day, the USS Albacore Submarine Memorial Park will hold its annual ceremony at 10 a.m.

Dover: Ceremony at Pine Hill Cemetery

A Memorial Day ceremony will be held on Monday, May 25, 2026, beginning at 11 a.m. at Pine Hill Cemetery and hosted by Dover’s Woodman Museum and American Legion Post 8.

The event will include opening remarks by Woodman Museum Executive Director Jonathan Nichols, a Memorial Day address by Dover Mayor Dennis Shanahan, remarks by American Legion Commander Wayne Gower, a wreath-laying ceremony, presentation of colors by the Dover High School NJROTC, the playing of Taps by Dover High School students Sofia Gonzalez Ramirez and Michael Ranti, and the national anthem, performed by Dover High School student Luna Hubbard.

The ceremony will be held at Veterans Circle, which can be accessed from the East Watson Street entrance to the cemetery.

Durham

Remembrance ceremony will be held Monday, May 25 at 10 a.m. at Memorial Park on Main Street. Community members are invited to pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting the country.

Exeter: Memorial Day parade to honor the fallen

The town’s annual Memorial Day Parade will be held Monday, May 25, beginning at 10 a.m. at Swasey Parkway. A helicopter wreath drop is scheduled to take place at the parkway before the parade steps off.

The procession will travel from Swasey Parkway to the bandstand, continue to the Historical Society, and conclude at Gale Park Cemetery. This year’s featured speaker will be General Don Bolduc.

“We hope everybody comes out to honor the fallen,” said Florence Ruffner, who organizes the parade. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Hampton area: Army veteran Kyle Saltonstall to speak

The Hamptons American Legion Post 35 will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, May 25, and the public is invited to attend.

The day will begin at 8 a.m. with a ceremony at the Marine Memorial at Hampton Beach, followed by a 9 a.m. ceremony at Weare Common in Hampton Falls. At 10 a.m., North Hampton will hold its Memorial Day parade, which follows a new route this year; units will form at 9:45 a.m. in the library parking lot on Atlantic Avenue, and a ceremony will take place in front of North Hampton School after the parade. The Hampton parade will step off at 11:30 a.m., with units forming at 11:15 a.m. next to the Hampton Fire Department on Winnacunnet Road, and a ceremony will follow at High Street Cemetery.

This year’s guest speaker is Army veteran Kyle Saltonstall, who deployed to Afghanistan in 2016 as an Advanced Tactical Paramedic with the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), known as the Night Stalkers. His military honors include the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Parachutist Badge.

Post 35 invites all veterans and Scout units from Hampton, North Hampton and Hampton Falls to participate in both the North Hampton and Hampton parades.

Newfields: Memorial Day & USA 250th celebration

The town of Newfields will mark Memorial Day weekend and the nation’s 250th anniversary with a full slate of events May 23–24.

Festivities begin Saturday, May 23, with an 8:30 a.m. naval launch at Chapman’s Landing. A Bill Tebo sign unveiling will follow, leading into the town’s parade and picnic at Hilton Field at 11 a.m. The afternoon features a 2 p.m. U.S. Militia vs. Red Coats skirmish and a 5 p.m. militia encampment.

Events continue Sunday, May 24, starting with a 9 a.m. pancake breakfast. An old‑fashioned fireman’s muster is scheduled for 4 p.m., followed by food trucks, a beer tent, and family activities beginning at 6 p.m. The celebration concludes with fireworks at 9 p.m. A rain date is set for Monday, May 25.

Rochester: Flags of Honor and parade

Vouchers for Veterans and the city of Rochester announced Flags of Honor will again put heroism on display at Rocester Common over Memorial Day weekend, May 23–25.

Flags of Honor is a display of 550 full-sized American flags arranged within and around the ⅓-mile oval park, each flag dedicated to an individual veteran.

“Every year we witness several people wiping away tears as they stroll among the field of flags, reading names on each card,” said Jeanne Grover, Vouchers for Veterans founder and board president. “We are so grateful to the city of Rochester for partnering with us so that this display is available for the community.”

Each evening at 7 p.m., buglers will play echo taps, and a bagpiper will perform while walking among the field of flags. Some of the flags will be dedicated by local businesses in memory of individual New Hampshire and Maine veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. The remaining flags will be dedicated to any American veteran of the community’s choosing. Each flag is identified with a laminated card containing the name, branch, rank, and insignia of the veteran being honored, and is attached to its own flagpole with a yellow silk ribbon.

On Monday, May 25, the Rochester Memorial Day Parade will conclude at the Rochester Common at approximately 11 a.m.., followed by a ceremony.

Information: vouchersforveterans.org

Somersworth

A Memorial Day parade and services will be held Monday May 25.

Services will be held as follows: 9:15 a.m. at Forest Glade Cemetery, 9:30 a.m. at Greek Orthodox Cemetery, 9:45 a.m. at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 10:15 a.m. at Holy Trinity Cemetery and 10:25 a.m. at Tri-City Covenant Church Cemetery.

The parade will start at 11:30 a.m. at the American Legion. There will be two brief ceremonies at Veterans Memorial on Main Street and at the Berwick Bridge.

Stratham: Memorial Day parade and ceremony

The town of Stratham will hold its Memorial Day parade and ceremony on Monday, May 25.

The parade steps off at 1:30 p.m. from Jack Rabbit Lane and will travel east along Portsmouth Avenue to Stratham Hill Park, featuring fire trucks, police vehicles, the Cooperative Middle School band, Scouts, youth sports teams, antique cars and trucks, and other community groups. Portsmouth Avenue between Jack Rabbit Lane and the park will be closed to traffic during the procession.

A Memorial Day ceremony will follow in the Veterans Memorial Garden at Stratham Hill Park. The guest speaker will be Joe Pace, executive director of the American Independence Center in Exeter and a Stratham native with a long record of public service, including roles in local government, education, and Rotary leadership.

The wreath‑laying will be performed by lifelong resident Josephine “Jody” Wiggin Scamman, daughter of Stratham’s first fire chief and wife of its third. She will be joined by Stratham Fire Chief Jeffrey M. Denton, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who served more than 26 years in the New Hampshire Air National Guard.

Master of Ceremonies Jeff Gallagher said this year’s observance carries added meaning as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“The parade allows us to celebrate and honor as a community,” he said.

Kittery, Maine

A Memorial Day service will be held at Orchard Grove Cemetery at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 23.

Kennebunks, Maine

Kennebunkport and Kennebunk will each hold Memorial Day parades on Monday, May 25, with ceremonies planned to honor those who died in military service.

The day begins with a sequence of salutes at local memorials and cemeteries starting at 7:30 a.m. at the American Legion Monument, followed by stops in Cape Porpoise, Arundel Cemetery, and North Street Cemetery, according to the event schedule.

A breakfast for parade marchers will be held at the Masonic Hall at 7:30 a.m., and Temple Street will close to general traffic at 8:45 a.m. Participants must be in place by 9 a.m., with the Kennebunkport parade stepping off at 9:30 a.m. The procession will return to Dock Square for a ceremony at 10 a.m., and the parade will conclude by 10:30 a.m.

A Legion Social for veterans, members, and parade participants will follow at noon.

Kennebunk’s parade begins at 2 p.m., preceded by a 1:30 p.m. band concert on the steps of Town Hall. The parade route starts at Town Hall on Summer Street, proceeds through Main and High streets, and ends at the fire station on Summer Street.

Any military veteran wishing to march — regardless of American Legion membership — is invited to meet at the Masonic Hall for breakfast and information and be on Temple Street by 9 a.m. to join the parade.

Participants include American Legion Post 159, American Legion Riders, the Dunlap Highland Band, Kennebunk Middle and High School bands, Boy Scout Troop 304, and the Kennebunkport police and fire departments.

Wells, Maine

The town of Wells is inviting residents and visitors to gather in remembrance for the 2026 Memorial Day Parade, scheduled for Monday, May 25, at 9 a.m.

The annual event honors the men and women who died in service to the nation, as well as all veterans and active‑duty members of the Armed Forces.

The parade will step off from Wells High School on Sanford Road and proceed east along Route 109 before turning south on Post Road (Route 1). It will conclude at Ocean View Cemetery, where a memorial ceremony will take place.

This year’s participants include the Committee for Veterans Affairs, the Atlantic Harmonies Youth Choir, Rev. David Hughes of Wells Congregational Church, the Wells‑Ogunquit Community School District music departments, Wells EMS, Wells Police, Wells Fire Department, the Civil Air Patrol Maine Wing, local veterans and town officials.

All veterans and current service members who wish to march are encouraged to join and should gather at the Wells Town Hall parking lot at 8:30 a.m. RSVPs are appreciated but not required.

York, Maine

The York Committee for Veteran’s Affairs will hold the town’s annual Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 25, beginning at 10 a.m.

The parade will step off from St. Christopher’s Church and proceed through town to First Parish Cemetery, with stops at the Soldiers Monument, the Korea, World War II, Revolutionary War and Old Cemetery memorials, the Civil War cannon, the World War I memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial.

A ceremony will follow at First Parish Church. The event is sponsored by the York Committee for Veteran’s Affairs and the town of York Parks and Recreation Department.

Sanford, Maine

The Sanford Veterans Memorial Committee is inviting the community to its Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 25, honoring past and present service members.

Wreath‑laying ceremonies will begin at 7:45 a.m. at Central Park, followed by stops at St. Ignatius Cemetery (8 a.m.), Oakdale Cemetery (8:15 a.m.), Sailors Park (8:30 a.m.), Riverside Cemetery (8:45 a.m.), Notre Dame Cemetery (9 a.m.), and Number One Pond (9:15 a.m.).

The Memorial Day parade will step off at 10 a.m., traveling from Number One Pond to Main Street and continuing to the gazebo at Walgreens in Springvale, where the town’s Memorial Ceremony will take place.

If you have more events for this listing, send email to news@seacoastonline.com or news@fosters.com.

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