As eyes turn toward the 2026 midterm election and 2028 presidential race, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics is shaping up to be a hot spot for rising politicians focused on winning the approval of Granite State voters, and NHIOP Student Ambassadors have had a front seat.
Since Fall 2025, the NHIOP has hosted four Stand-Up New Hampshire Town Hall events featuring prominent Democratic politicians. The event series, organized by the New Hampshire Democrats, is aimed at rallying the state’s Democratic voters as crucial elections lay on the horizon.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) each visited the Institute this fall and participated in individual town hall-style events moderated by Politico reporter Kelly Garrity.
Front row at all of these events were Kevin. B Harrington Student Ambassadors.
From managing the check-in desk and serving as ushers to greeting politicians as they arrive and staffing the green room, students are at the center of the action.
For Michael Hanna ’26, Chair of the Student Ambassador Program, who worked in the green room for the events with Khanna, Murphy, and Emanuel, the fact that these prominent politicians chose to stop in New Hampshire indicates the importance of the state’s first-in-the-nation status.
“New Hampshire’s students and voters take our civic responsibility seriously,” Hannah stated.
In the spring, the format for the series changed slightly, as Saint Anselm College students played a more prominent role in the event. Conor Beswick ’26, a Politics and Finance major, was tapped to serve as the program’s moderator, in an effort to bring in a younger perspective and highlight skills being developed on campus.
In the fourth installment, which took place in March, Rahm Emanuel, the former ambassador to Japan and White House chief of staff, took the stage to explain his vision for the country. In addition to Beswick, Meagan Lee ’28, a Politics major, gave introductory remarks and led the pledge of allegiance.
Beswick remarked that his mentorship by Neil Levesque prepared him for this unique opportunity. “I was humbled to be able to help facilitate classic New Hampshire democracy between voters and a leader in a town hall setting,” Beswick said.
Abby O’Connell ’28 explained that working behind the scenes gave her the opportunity to “see first-hand all of effort and people it takes to make an event like this happen.”
Beyond her responsibilities, she had the chance to meet Senator Booker and take a selfie with him alongside fellow student representatives.
“He was extremely personable and friendly, as well as an inspiring speaker,” she shared.
Erin Robbins ’28, one of the students who joined O’Connell for the selfie and staffed the event, pointed out the rarity of such an experience, one that she “probably never would have been able to do without Saint Anselm.”
“I was able to spend time listening to and understanding every politician that came in and really grasp who they were,” Robbins said. “That would not have been possible without the ambassador program.”