KEENE, N.H. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is winning the next-door-neighbor battle in New Hampshire, where the Massachusetts Democrat has climbed to the top of the pack in the 2020 primary race, wresting the far-left mantle away from Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont four months out from the first votes being cast.
Activists say it is a testament to the strong ground game Ms. Warren has established in the state, her ability to connect with voters on a personal level and the lengthy list of policy ideas that have been embodied by her slogan, “I have a plan for that.”
“She is surging, and the people who are supporting her are high enthusiasm, which is important,” said Lynn Thomas, chair of the Meredith County Democrats, who remains neutral in the race.
That was on display Wednesday as voters, some wearing “Nevertheless she persisted” T-shirts and “Dream Big, Fight Hard” sweatshirts, converged on the student union lawn at Keene State College in the western part of the first-in-the-nation primary state to catch a glimpse of the newest Democratic presidential front-runner.
Doubling down on her calls to remove President Trump, Ms. Warren said she is glad that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, has opened a formal impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump’s request for Ukraine to investigate corruption involving former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and his son Hunter.
“This is not a matter of politics; this is a matter of constitutional responsibility,” said Ms. Warren, speaking on stage in front of a massive American flag, in her 17th trip to the state. “Nobody is above the law, not even the president of the United States.
“But as we now know, if Congress does not hold this man accountable, then he will break the law again and again and again. It is time for impeachment now,” said Ms. Warren, 70.
The Warren bounce comes at the expense of Mr. Biden, whose aura of electability is eroding, and Mr. Sanders, who is failing to re-create the magic of 2016 when he finished in a statistical tie with Hillary Clinton in Iowa and easily defeated her in New Hampshire by winning 60% of the primary vote.
Inga Hansen, chair of the Keene Democrats, said she isn’t surprised Ms. Warren is siphoning support from Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders.
“She wasn’t in the race last time, and there were a lot of people who would have liked her better than Bernie Sanders,” said Ms. Hansen, adding that many voters feel Ms. Warren is more “personable” than the “abrasive” Mr. Sanders.
That contrast in styles is weighing on the minds of voters, who are trying to sort through the massive field of candidates and who say Ms. Warren has impressed.
“The problem with Bernie is Bernie is just too old,” said Paul Kranowski of nearby Walpole, who backed the Vermont socialist in 2016. “Bernie is great, but I think his time has passed.”
Mr. Kranowksi said he had low expectations for Ms. Warren after she struggled with her claims of American Indian heritage and listening to people from Massachusetts vent about how they “despised her.”
“I kind of was expecting a train wreck, I really did, but it was anything but,” the 65-year-old said. “She spoke well, she brought up a lot of good points, she was intelligent, she was very energetic.”
Virginia Carter, 64, said she recently “turned the corner” on Ms. Warren after giving South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg a good look, citing her debate performance and the energy she exudes on the stump.
“It all just came together for me,” Ms. Carter said.
Ms. Warren is promising to take on the political and economic “corruption” that she blames for allowing the rich to get richer at the expense of the working class.
Ms. Warren has piggybacked on Mr. Sanders’ push for “Medicare for All” and backs free college tuition. They also have dueling plans to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy.
Ms. Warren says her “wealth tax” would raise $4 trillion, enough to pay for a massive expansion of government programs — including universal child care, increased Social Security payments, and student debt cancellation for most borrowers — that she argues will reduce income inequality and lift up the working class.
“For me, this is about opportunity,” she said Wednesday. “Is opportunity going to be something that is just going to be reserved for a thinner and thinner slice of the top?”
Ms. Warren recently captured the endorsement of the Working Families Party, the liberal labor group that backed Mr. Sanders in 2016, and leaped into first place in Iowa, according to a Des Moines Register poll released over the weekend that showed her ahead of Mr. Biden.
Things got better Tuesday when a Monmouth University survey showed she was the front-runner in Iowa and on Wednesday when a Quinnipiac University poll found she was leading the pack nationally.
The Monmouth poll showed her support among self-described liberals in New Hampshire jumped to 39% — a 28-point bump since May.
“Her rise in support is broad-based, coming from all corners of the party, which means at the expense of the other two leading candidates [Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders] who represent opposite wings” of the party, said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth University Polling Institute.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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