A top Trump volunteer in Massachusetts “will no longer have any involvement” in the campaign after he sent an email Sunday evening raising alarm about the Republican ticket’s chances in neighboring New Hampshire.
Tom Mountain, who had served as one of several vice chairs for the former president’s effort in Massachusetts, wrote in an email to Trump volunteers in the state that “the campaign has determined that New Hampshire is no longer a battleground state,” and advised supporters to instead direct their attention to Pennsylvania. The GOP had been bullish about winning New Hampshire before President Biden dropped out of the race.
In the email,Mountain, a former official with the Massachusetts GOP, said Trump was “sure to lose by an even higher margin” in New Hampshire than in 2016 and 2020, citing “campaign data/research.” He claimed resources would be suspended and the campaign would not send Trump or high-profile surrogates such as his sons. The email was obtained by the Globe and confirmed with multiple recipients.
Republicans in New England and the Trump campaign were quick to rebut Mountain’s email and dismiss him as a mere volunteer not privy to internal deliberations about campaign strategy or plans for a state that is not his own.
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Brian Hughes, senior advisor to the Trump campaign, said to call Mountain a “leading volunteer” would be a “massive overstatement of his involvement” and added that “due to this ridiculous misrepresentation of our ongoing operation in New Hampshire, he will no longer have any involvement going forward.”
“This isn’t true,” Hughes said of Mountain’s email. “President Trump’s campaign maintains an on-the-ground presence in New Hampshire, including staff and offices, while Kamala Harris is parachuting in because she knows that the Granite State is in play. We look forward to building on the momentum that we have grown since the primary and sending New Hampshire’s four electoral votes to President Trump’s column on November 5.”
The Republican National Committee did not answer questions, however, about what resources it is sending to New Hampshire, or any plans for campaign events there. Trump has not appeared in New Hampshire since he won its first-in-the-nation primary in January, and it has been months since the state has had a visit from a top surrogate, such as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum in April.
Steve Stepanek, who leads Trump’s campaign in New Hampshire, said Mountain “obviously has no idea what is going on in NH because he is from Massachusetts” but did not respond to further questions.
Even as Mountain’s message rankled many of his fellow Republicans, who complained he was uninformed or speaking out of turn, it underscored deep concerns among some in the GOP that having Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket makes Democrats more competitive in swing states such as New Hampshire. Mountain declined an interview request.
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New Hampshire is a purple state, with a Democratic congressional delegation and a Republican governor, but it has not voted for a Republican for president in more than 20 years. This year, with Biden at the top of the ticket, the GOP there was optimistic about taking the state back for Trump.
But since Harris ascended to the top of the ticket and built new momentum on the Democratic side, the race in Republican reach states such as New Hampshire has appearedto tighten. A recent poll found Harris leading Trump in the state, and she is expected to appear in New Hampshire this week. The Cook Political Report recently moved the state from “lean” to “likely” Democratic, another indication of Harris’s strength there. Given that challenge, as well as how few electoral votes New Hampshire carries — just four — it may not be worth investing in, some New England Republicans quietly acknowledge.
Two leading Massachusetts Republicans told the Globe they were not aware of any shift in the Trump campaign’s strategy for New England.
Janet Fogarty, the Republican National Committeewoman for Massachusetts, said in an interview Sunday that New Hampshire is “an important state.”
She said Republican volunteers from reliably blue Massachusetts flock north to campaign in New Hampshire every four years, and she did not expect 2024 to be any different. Of Mountain’s email, she said, “there’s no there there.”
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For his part, Mountain wrote in his email that “the Dems’ campaign shakeup from Biden to Harris led our campaign to shift strategy to other winnable battleground states.”
“So for those who were active in the NH ground campaign in 2016 and 2020, and expected to do the same after Labor Day, the simple question is… what are we to do?” Mountain wrote. “GO TO PENNSYLVANIA. The nearest battleground state. This is a must-win state. If we lose Pennsylvania we lose the election.”
A former vice chairman of the Massachusetts GOP, Mountain stepped down from the role in 2021 in the wake of what he called a “scurrilous and demeaning” blog post about his personal life.
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Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her @emmaplatoff.
On one side of Concord’s City Plaza is a nativity scene. On the other is a pentagram — a symbol of Satanism — encircled by a wreath.
The display, installed by the Satanic Temple’s New Hampshire and Vermont congregation, honors the Dec. 25 Satanic holiday of Sol Invictus, which translates to “unconquered sun” in Latin.
Sol Invictus is a “celebration of being unconquered by superstition and consistent in the pursuit and sharing of knowledge,” according to the group’s website.
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The wreath, adorned with lilacs, New Hampshire’s state flower, will stay up through Dec. 31 alongside other religious and seasonal exhibits that are on display in front of the State House.
“We, like any other religion and organization, are allowed to participate in this public forum, and we are proud to stand with these other displays,” Vivian Hess-Mahan, the congregation’s co-leader and minister, said in a press release.
The Satanic Temple’s holiday display, including a Baphomet statue and 7 tenets of the religion, was placed Saturday in the city plaza in front of the NH State House. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER
This is the second annual holiday display by the Satanic Temple, which erected a statue of its part-goat, part-human deity, Baphomet, last year.
The robed figure and an accompanying plaque of the group’s guiding tenets garnered attention on social media and were repeatedly knocked down and shattered, leading Concord Police to arrest three people on vandalism charges.
The City of Concord approved the permit for the first display based on the First Amendment and to avoid a lawsuit, officials said in a statement last year.
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State Rep. Ellen Read, a Newmarket Democrat, asked the Satanic Temple to install something on City Plaza.
“As a secular lawmaker, I believe it is critical that the City of Concord does not appear to endorse one specific religion over another,” Read said in the press release, arguing that the public place of City Plaza should be “neutral and inclusive.”
“Pluralism is the heartbeat of the ‘Live Free or Die’ state,” she said. “We must ensure that no single perspective dominates the public conversation and that all groups feel safe and represented in their own government.”
A nursing assistant at a hospital in Manchester, N.H., has been charged with sexually assaulting a child who was receiving medical care at the facility, according to police.
Alexander Colbath, 25, was arrested on Friday, several days after the alleged assault was reported, Manchester police said in a statement on Monday.
Colbath is accused of fondling an 8-year-old girl on Nov. 29 at Elliot Hospital, according to court records. A hospital spokesperson said Tuesday that the defendant no longer works at the organization.
“Please know the safety of our patients, staff, and visitors at Elliot Health System remains our highest priority,” communications manager Crystal Mockler said, referring further questions to local authorities.
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Colbath is charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault. It was not clear whether he has a lawyer. He did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment.
Colbath made his initial court appearance in Manchester District Court on Monday. He didn’t enter a plea and was released on personal recognizance, with conditions that include having no contact with the victim or her family, and staying away from Elliot Hospital except in the case of a medical emergency.
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His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8.
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Amanda Grady Sexton, public affairs director for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence reminded parents that they are not alone. Confidential services are available around-the-clock for those who may need help or guidance, she said.
“The allegations in this case are heartbreaking and remind us that even in places dedicated to healing, children can be vulnerable,” Grady Sexton said. “Ensuring strong safeguards, clear reporting pathways, and immediate support for families is vital.”
Those impacted by domestic and sexual violence or stalking can access free and confidential support services by calling the 24/7 statewide helpline at 866-644-3574.
Those who suspect that a child has been abused or neglected are required to report that concern to the state. The New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth, and Families central intake unit can be reached at 800-894-5533 (from within New Hampshire) or 603-271-6562 (from anywhere).
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
