A plan to create a state task force to improve public safety during the 2028 New Hampshire presidential primary got a mixed response during its first public hearing at the State House Tuesday.
The bipartisan bill is sponsored by legislative leaders from both parties, who say creating safety recommendations for candidates, campaigns and the public could help ensure presidential campaigning here retains a face-to-face feel in an age of growing political violence.
“The impetus for this bill was hearing from family and friends who are not political about whether or not they would want to go to political events in the future in a climate where it just doesn’t feel safe,” House Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney told the House Election Law Committee Tuesday.
Under Sweeney’s bill, which is co-sponsored by House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, top state safety officials would work with local police, state higher education leaders and delegates from both political parties to craft “content-neutral, statewide guidance for presidential campaign event security planning and protest management that protects free speech and public safety.”
“It’s about coordinating better, and it’s about upholding democratic traditions,” said Rep. Matt Wilhelm, a Democrat from Manchester.
But state safety officials seem unpersuaded by the proposal.
“Creating a state-level task force duplicates efforts without adding meaningful security benefits,” New Hampshire State Police Captain Matthew Amatucci told lawmakers.
Amatucci added that state and local police already work together, as well as with the U.S. Secret Service, to ensure safety at presidential campaign events in New Hampshire.
Under questioning by lawmakers, Amatucci allowed that the kind of guidance envisioned by the bill might be of benefit for “upstart” candidates who wouldn’t qualify for U.S. Secret Service protection. But he also stressed that creating any state-issued protocols for presidential candidates and campaigns could also end up doing more harm than good.
“Publishing detailed guidance and after-action reports risks giving bad actors insight into law enforcement tactics.” Amatucci said.
