"We didn't even e-mail out to the whole campus," College Democrats President Andy Reynolds '09 said. "This was not the forum for that."
During the event, Lynch discussed job loss in New Hampshire's North Country, which is mainly located in Plymouth county. The unemployment problem, he said, followed the shutdown of paper mills, which many depended on to make a living. To inspire economic growth, Lynch wants to eliminate the business tax in the area, which College Democrats Communications Director David Imamura '10 said is one of Lynch's most admirable projects.
Lynch also touched on his goal for New Hampshire to get 25 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2025.
"When you have these things figured out, let me know," he said.
During his race, Lynch will not need to engage in hard campaigning, College Democrats Vice President Jen Schuster '09 said. Lynch's popularity is so widespread that in the last gubernatorial election he won more than 70 percent of the vote, she added. The non-partisan Cook political report, which tracks elections, listed Lynch's seat as solidly Democratic as of Jan. 24.
The governor is also the second most popular governor in the country, Imamura said.
"He gets things done," Imamura said, "Some politicians are really loud and obnoxious -- he's not."
The event was a very spur-of-the-moment affair, he said. Sarah Ayres '06, a New Hampshire native working on the Lynch campaign, attended a College Democrats meeting Monday and told the group that Lynch would be passing through Hanover.
"Right now, campaigns are starting to lay out their plans for November," Imamura said. "[Politicians] are starting to reach out to College Democrats across the nation."
Many people may feel worn out from working on the presidential election, Imamura said, but a goal of the College Democrats is to shift community focus from national politics to local New Hampshire elections. If a Democrat is elected president this fall, having Democrats in local government could help the president enact policies, he said.
"There's so much attention on the presidential race right now," Ayres, who started working for Lynch last month, said. "Once the Democratic nomination gets settled, then people will come back around ... We have a ton of important races coming up in New Hampshire right now."
Before the governor arrived, students made phone calls reminding New Hampshire voters to attend a campaign fundraiser at the end of May and after the meeting the students posed for a group picture with Lynch.
"He seems really interested in talking to students on a really informal level," Schuster said. "It's nice that we're on his agenda."
