Pete Buttigieg rallies in Rochester to support New Hampshire Senate candidate Chris Pappas

Former presidential candidate and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared in Rochester on Friday night to draw a large crowd of Democrats. The event was framed as a push to boost the statewide campaigns of Democratic candidates, most notably Senate nominee Chris Pappas. Buttigieg toured downtown Manchester with other candidates, emphasizing the need for a “big vision” to win a race that he described as “tight.”

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New Hampshire has long been viewed as a competitive battleground. The 2022 Senate race was decided by roughly a thousand votes, underscoring the narrow margins that can determine control of the chamber. Local Democrats have expressed concern that national party leaders are not focusing enough on the Granite State’s Senate contest, prompting Buttigieg’s appearance to signal heightened attention.

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• Pete Buttigieg – U.S. Secretary of Transportation, former 2020 presidential candidate, campaigning for Democratic Senate hopeful.

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• Chris Pappas – Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat from New Hampshire.

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• Dionysus Lemos – Resident of Manchester who commented on Buttigieg’s presence.

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Buttigieg also indicated his focus remains on the 2024 midterms, with any presidential ambitions deferred until after the November elections.

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• “Well, that's part of why I'm here. Look, people see those presidential maps, assume that they think constantly think of New Hampshire as a blue state. This has always been an extremely competitive state,” — Pete Buttigieg

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• “I think it's by laying out a big vision for what our future is going to look like. Just being against, I mean, that might get you through one election cycle. I mean, certainly a lot of people are against what the president is doing right now. But we also got to make clear what it is we're for,” — Pete Buttigieg

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• “I'd like to see him jump in,” — Dionysus Lemos, of Manchester

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