Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!
0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff90ca0000Click each race below for NHPR's coverage:Governor's Race | State Senate RacesCongressional District 1 | Congressional District 2All Election CoverageClick here for our voter's guide and a map of N.H. polling places. Click here for a version in Spanish.Click here for real-time results after the polls close.

Alec Baldwin Urges N.H. Democrats to 'Overthrow' the 'Government of Donald Trump'

Sarah Gibson for NHPR

Actor Alec Baldwin was in Manchester on Sunday night to fire up Democrats at the state party’s annual fundraiser. The event, now called the "Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner," used to be called the Kennedy Clinton Dinner.

Baldwin is known for his impression of President Trump on Saturday Night Live and support of liberal causes, but he has also been criticized for sexist and homophobic remarks.

In his speech, he called for “the peaceful overthrow of the government of Donald Trump” with a Democratic wave in midterm elections.

“Democrats may not have as many rich power-mad billionaires pulling their strings like the GOP has," he said. "But our advantage is that all of those billionaires still only have one vote. There are more of us than there are of them.” 

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said that Baldwin's representatives contacted the party after Baldwin spoke at a Democratic gala in Iowa last year, and that a New Hampshire Democratic Party committee chose Baldwin to headline this year's fundraiser.

On social media, some Republicans blasted the New Hampshire Democratic Party for hosting Baldwin, whose tepid response to the #Metoo movement, support of Hollywood colleagues accused of sexual abuse, and aggressive remarks to press have raised eyebrows on both sides of the political spectrum. 

Buckley insisted that the efforts to shore up anger about Baldwin's character was purely a Republican tactic in response to Baldwin's political comedy:

"Some people will read the Breitbart News and some of the other right-wing stuff and believe it and encourage it, and that’s their right, but it really is emanating from the Republican Party,” he said.

Some Democrats at the event said they were excited for their candidates but disappointed that Baldwin was headlining. One person said he knew peers who chose not to attend because of Baldwin.

But Baldwin drew a crowd - organizers say over 800 people attended, a record since the event started in 1991.

In response to a question about his own political ambitions, Baldwin, who has four young children, answered, "My wife told me she would divorce me if I ran for President." 

Sarah Gibson joined NHPR's newsroom in 2018. She reports on education and demographics.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.