'Big Mo' For Beriont As Howard Drops Out, Endorses Her In The 1st Congressional District Democrat Primary

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Carleigh Beriont has “the Big Mo.”

That’s the phrase George H.W. Bush famously used to describe his 1980 presidential campaign as he headed to New Hampshire fresh off his victory over Ronald Reagan in Iowa.

It also applies to Beriont’s campaign in the NH-01 Democratic primary. On Monday, she was endorsed by state Rep. Heath Howard, a fellow progressive who dropped out of the primary to support Beriont.

It’s just the latest bump for Beriont in a race many political insiders had written off months ago as a lock for Stefany Shaheen, daughter of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Instead, Shaheen’s unimpressive performance has caused her to slip in the polls, while Beriont has surged from the low single digits to 15% and third place in the new St. Anselm College Survey Center poll.

Since then, a national Bernie Sanders operative has launched a new PAC promoting Beriont’s candidacy, she has picked up the endorsement of the Progressive Democrats of America, and she even received a semi-endorsement from the State Employees’ Association of New Hampshire, SEIU Local 1984.

The state workers union endorsed Shaheen, as expected given her mother’s political pull, but in an unusual twist, its statement also “acknowledges our support for Carleigh Beriont.”

Apparently, that was enough for Howard, whose support had fallen to 7% in the St. A’s poll.

“Our bootstrapped campaign led in the polls as the anti-establishment challenger to Stefany Shaheen and Maura Sullivan. Now it’s time to pass the torch to someone with the funding, the ground game, and the momentum to take this home,” Howard said.

“I call on all candidates without establishment backing to do the same so we can finish the job and avoid vote-splitting.”

Beriont responded by calling Howard “a leading voice for a bold progressive agenda.”

“Heath said this is bigger than either of us, and he is right. I am so grateful to have his support in my campaign, as we unite progressives across the district behind an agenda that includes Medicare for All, fully funded public schools, abolishing ICE, and restoring a democracy that works for all of us, not just the rich and powerful.”

Howard’s support doesn’t come without some baggage. He’s openly embraced the Democratic Socialists of America and has been under fire from fellow progressives over his allegedly misogynistic and anti-transgender behavior. And his anti-AIPAC rhetoric has spilled over into what some see as antisemitism, including denying Israel’s right to exist.

With the primary just two weeks away, Beriont has a lot of political ground to make up. She’s still well behind front-runner Maura Sullivan, who was at 26% in the St. A’s poll. At the same time, the signs of momentum are undeniable.

Speaking on background, one Seacoast Democrat said Beriont is benefiting from the perception that she has the quiet support of former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who has not endorsed in the race.

Sullivan supporters insist Shea-Porter has not picked sides.

Howard’s decision to drop out is certain to increase pressure on Christian Urrutia to do the same. Urrutia has raised more than $1 million, and he’s the only progressive in the NH-01 primary to have aired ads on broadcast TV. However, the St. A’s poll puts him at 3%, and there are no signs he’s gaining traction.

But Urrutia’s campaign co-chair Andru Volinsky said the undecided numbers remain high and Urrutia isn’t going anywhere.

“New Hampshire voters deserve steady, thoughtful representatives to tackle the toughest issues of our times,” Volinsky said. “Christian Urrutia plans to take his place on the stage in the two upcoming public debates next week and on the ballot on Election Day.”

If progressives rally around a single candidate in the primary, could they do something they haven’t been able to do since Shea-Porter’s surprise win in 2006 and put a left-wing Democrat on the general election ballot? And if they do, does that change how national Republicans view the NH-01 race in November?

Beriont frequently touts her work as a union organizer to explain how a candidate who refuses to use social media and hasn’t spent money on TV can succeed. “We are running a true grassroots campaign,” she says.

But is that enough to win a general election race for Congress? Beriont may have “the Big Mo,” but so did Bush in early 1980.

Reagan crushed him in the New Hampshire primary and went on to become president.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.