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Joe Grandmaison, prominent Democratic operative in N.H., dies at 79

 New Hampshire State House, Concord, N.H. NHPR photo Dan Tuohy
Dan Tuohy
/
NHPR
New Hampshire State House, Concord, N.H. NHPR photo Dan Tuohy

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire Democrat who ran numerous campaigns, J. Joseph "Joe" Grandmaison has died at 79.

His brother said Grandmaison died from Parkinson's disease Saturday in Portsmouth. Grandmaison ran a number of campaigns over the years and was an informal adviser to others, including President Bill Clinton.

The Nashua native cut his teeth working on the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in 1972.

That was just the start of many campaigns with his fingerprints on them. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen called him a "political legend."

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