Encouraging students to begin their involvement in political life, former Portsmouth, N.H. Mayor Steve Marchand focused on the possibilites for youth participation in government in a speech given to the Dartmouth College Democrats in the Rockefeller Center's 1930's room .
"You have to start now getting involved; you don't have to wait until you're 40 or 50," the 34-year-old Marchand told the students attendees.
"Don't let people tell you you're not old enough to participate -- that's garbage, that's folks who just don't want the competition," he said.
A diversified education that extended beyond government and public policy has been instrumental to Marchand's political career, he said.
As an undergraduate, Marchand majored in public relations and minored in French, which he said helped him campaign in New Hampshire.
"You want to find a niche that gives you a leg up," he said.
It is crucial to build relationships with people before, not after, asking them for help, Marchand said. He added that his advice could also benefit students applying for jobs after college and told students to begin making contacts in the job market.
In addition to cultivating relationships in the political field, Marchand stressed the importance of being familiar with current public policy debates.
"The people that really get ahead are those who are able to be fluent in both politics and policy," he said.
Marchand urged students to become involved in local campaigns, especially the New Hampshire senate race.
He asked students who were pro-choice to consider that several liberal justices on the supreme court were likely to resign in the near future and that the senate would have to confirm all new judicial appointments.
"New Hampshire is a state where we [Democrats] have the best chance to pick up the next [senate] seat," he said.
Of the candidates remaining in the Democratic presidential primary, Marchand thinks that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has a stronger policy background, while Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is a superior politician.
Marchand added that he would like Obama to win the nomination.
Marchand supported Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., before the candidate dropped out of the Democratic presidential race.
"I think Bill Richardson would have been a heck of a president, and now I think he'll be a heck of a vice president," Marchand said.
Marchand was a Democratic candidate for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H.
In September, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., announced she would seek the seat in 2008. Marchand dropped out of the race in her favor, fulfilling an earlier campaign promise.
Marchand added that he would not stay away from the political scene for long.
"I'm going to run for something again pretty soon," he said. "I love state issues, and [New Hampshire Governor John] Lynch's third term is up in 2010, so we'll see."
Marchand, a self-proclaimed "deficit hawk," said he was concerned that federal deficits trickle down to the state and local level, forcing states and municipalities to cut back on grants and other programs.
"It think that in the 21st century, the model for governance is going to be outcome-based. It's going to be focused on the fact that we have a finite number of dollars to spend," he said.
