Turning Point Action hits the ground in New Hampshire for a key Senate race

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One year after Charlie Kirk’s assassination , the organization he founded for young conservatives is building out its political operation in a purple state that has often evaded Republicans’ grasp at the federal level.

New Hampshire appears to have become a centerpiece of Turning Point Action’s midterm work, according to online posts from its activists and political observers in the Granite State.

One Turning Point field representative posted photos earlier this month of a training she held on “navigating NH’s absentee ballot process.” Another posted that she was loading 300 signs for Republican Senate nominee John E. Sununu in her car.

“Socialism doesn’t work!” wrote Linda McGrath, a New Hampshire state representative, in a post in front of her car trunk. “And it’s not too late to join the Turning Point Action team in New Hampshire!”

Sununu, a moderate ex-senator running against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, is in some ways an unconventional candidate for the group, which is perhaps best known for its strong alliances with the Trump White House and Vice President JD Vance. But the groundwork that’s being laid here, as Republicans look to flip the seat and hold onto their 53-47 majority in the Senate, could carry beyond this year’s midterms.

Several Turning Point staffers in New Hampshire declined to discuss their work, with one telling CNN, “I am not available or interested.” Sununu’s campaign also did not respond to requests for comment. But Tyler Bowyer, the chief operating officer for Turning Point Action, told CNN earlier this year that the organization would devote significant resources to the state.

“We’re putting the biggest ground force that’s ever been put on the ground in New Hampshire for Republicans,” he said in July. “We’ve already got dozens and dozens of full-time people on the ground there, so that’s huge. New Hampshire turnout-wise is like the size of a medium-sized to large-sized city. So, I like our chances.”

According to the organization’s website, New Hampshire is part of Turning Point’s Chase the Ballot initiative, including “Commit 100,” which will “help chase voters in person.” Turning Point is also advertising “super chase” events which focus on helping low-propensity voters cast their ballots.

The group is relying on local activists to help fuel its outreach, former New Hampshire Republican Party Chair Chris Ager said.

“I went to one of their trainings and I looked at the crowd and I was like, ‘I know a lot of these people,” Ager said. “They’re hiring activists who know the state and have been on the ground. I was so impressed that they’re hiring people who know the state.”

Turning Point’s presence could make a difference for Sununu, who hails from a well-known political dynasty in the state, with his father and brother having served as governor, said Michael Biundo, a GOP strategist in New Hampshire who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign.

“I think quality door-knocking with a person, talking to a voter about what they believe, what they’re feeling … that can do nothing but help, and would be very helpful in what’s going to be, I think, a very tight race,” Biundo said.

Erika Kirk, who took over her husband’s organization following his death, has already endorsed Vance if he were to run as Trump’s successor in 2028. Vance and other GOP hopefuls could potentially benefit from the organization it is already building on the ground.

“If you’ve got a lot of ground activity going on, and it’s something that can be utilized in the future, I think that’s a good thing,” Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics said. “That being said, if they create a hell of a database going into 2028, that’s going to be very valuable for that organization.”

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在查理·柯克遇刺一年后，他为年轻保守派创立的组织正在一个摇摆州建立其政治运作，该州在联邦层面经常逃脱共和党的控制。

根据新罕布什尔州活动人士和政治观察人士在网上发布的帖子，该州似乎已成为“转折点行动”中期选举工作的中心。

本月初，一位“转折点”组织的外勤代表发布了她举办的“新罕布什尔州缺席投票流程”培训照片。另一位代表则发布了她正在车里装载300个支持共和党参议员候选人约翰·E·苏努努的竞选标语的照片。

“社会主义行不通！”新罕布什尔州州议员琳达·麦格拉斯在她汽车后备箱前发帖写道。“现在加入新罕布什尔州的‘转折点行动’团队还不晚！”

温和派前参议员苏努努正在竞选参议员，挑战民主党众议员克里斯·帕帕斯。从某种程度上来说，对于共和党而言，他算得上是一位非传统的候选人。共和党最为人所知的或许是其与特朗普白宫和副总统万斯的紧密联盟。但共和党正在为赢得这个席位、保住参议院53比47的多数席位而进行的准备工作，其影响可能会延续到今年的中期选举之后。

新罕布什尔州的几名“转折点”（Turning Point）工作人员拒绝就其工作发表评论，其中一人告诉CNN：“我目前不方便接受采访，也对此不感兴趣。” 苏努努的竞选团队也未回应置评请求。但“转折点行动”（Turning Point Action）的首席运营官泰勒·鲍耶（Tyler Bowyer）今年早些时候曾告诉CNN，该组织将投入大量资源用于该州的工作。

“我们正在新罕布什尔州部署共和党有史以来规模最大的地面竞选队伍，”他七月份表示。“我们已经派出了数十名全职人员在那里，这非常庞大。新罕布什尔州的选民规模相当于一座中大型城市。所以，我对我们的胜算很有信心。”

据该组织网站介绍，新罕布什尔州是“转折点”（Turning Point）“追逐选票”（Chase the Ballot）计划的一部分，该计划包括“承诺100”（Commit 100）项目，旨在“亲自督促选民投票”。“转折点”还在宣传“超级追票”（super chase）活动，重点是帮助那些投票意愿不高的选民投出选票。

新罕布什尔州共和党前主席克里斯·阿格尔表示，该组织正依靠当地积极分子来帮助推动其对外宣传工作。

“我去参加了他们的一次培训，看着人群，我就想，‘这些人我认识好多人，’”艾格说。“他们招募的都是了解本州情况、在基层工作过的活动人士。他们招募了解本州情况的人，这让我印象深刻。”

曾参与特朗普 2016 年竞选的新罕布什尔州共和党策略师迈克尔·比翁多表示，转折点组织的存在可能会对苏努努产生影响，苏努努来自该州一个著名的政治世家，他的父亲和兄弟都曾担任过州长。

“我认为，高质量的挨家挨户拜访选民，与选民交谈，了解他们的想法、感受……这绝对会有帮助，而且我认为这将会是一场非常激烈的竞选，这将非常有帮助，”比翁多说。

埃里卡·柯克在丈夫去世后接管了他的组织，她已经表示，如果万斯在2028年竞选特朗普的继任者，她将支持他。万斯和其他共和党候选人可能会从该组织已经在基层建立起来的组织中受益。

新罕布什尔州政治研究所主任尼尔·莱维斯克表示：“如果你开展了大量的基层活动，而且这些活动在未来还能派上用场，我认为这是一件好事。也就是说，如果他们能在2028年之前建立一个非常庞大的数据库，那对该组织来说将非常有价值。”