Getting to meet career politicians is nothing new for Dartmouth students, as programs run by the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy bring famous and influential political figures to our school nearly every week. This year has already seen former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ’77, former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, come to Dartmouth to speak. But at the end of fall term, our campus got a visit from a different kind of politician.
Paige Beauchemin is a registered nurse, a working mom and a state assemblywoman from Nashua, campaigning against incumbent Maggie Goodlander to be our next Congresswoman in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.
Beauchemin came to Dartmouth to meet with students and to hear about what matters most to young people in New Hampshire and around the country. She traipsed around campus in the dark and pouring rain and then spoke to the weekly meeting of the Dartmouth Democrats, where politically engaged students got the chance to ask her questions about her policies and vision. She then hosted a meet and greet event: “Your Campus, Your Candidate,” at the Tabard.
Unlike the traditional politicians who come to Dartmouth, give prepared speeches and take limited questions in a controlled environment, Beauchemin met students where they were at, taking the unusual step of visiting a Greek space, and even staying late to answer every single question asked of her. Over the course of six hours on campus, Beauchemin spoke with dozens of students of varying political ideologies, answered tough questions, found common ground and laid out her plans to tackle this country’s biggest challenges. Working on Beauchemin’s campaign for the past three months, I’ve seen this considerate approach to politics over and over, and I’m confident that she will lead with the compassion we need from our representatives.
Beauchemin heard from students concerned about affordability and finding a job after graduation, immigration crackdowns, President Donald Trump’s deployment of the military against US citizens and the failure of current Democratic leadership to stand up to Trump. Students told her they wanted a candidate who was authentic, a candidate who cared about the needs of young people and, most importantly, a candidate who would fight for them. Beauchemin is that candidate, and that’s why I believe Dartmouth students should back her to be our next Congresswoman.
Beauchemin cares deeply about the needs and voices of young people. Her campaign has done something that few in history have: built a youth-powered movement with an average staff age under 23. Beauchemin’s staff is full of college students, especially Dartmouth students, including campaign manager Quinn Allred ’26, GIS specialist Stephen Fowler ’29, fundraiser Peter Drew ’29, small business analyst Alexa Ramos ’28, and campus organizer Becca Davis ’29. Beauchemin is bringing young people into the actual world of politics and the number of students she is promoting to real leaders grows every day.
Beauchemin is running to be a voice for working people in a Congress, more than half of whose members are millionaires. Her opponent, incumbent Goodlander, has investments and holdings that could be worth more than $30 million, according to NHPR. She raised more than $4 million dollars for her campaign last election cycle, with only 0.07% coming from small-dollar donors, according to public records. Beauchemin, on the other hand, is running a people-powered campaign to break the stranglehold corporations and the wealthy have over our politics and pass legislation that benefits all Americans, not just the elite.
While Goodlander routinely caves to President Donald Trump — including voting for the anti-immigrant “Laken Riley Act” — Beauchemin will stand up and fight for our most vulnerable neighbors. While Goodlander takes massive donations from corporations and special interests like the American Israeli Political Action Committee, Beauchemin is running a campaign on individual donations and is loyal only to the people of New Hampshire. Beauchemin is not afraid to take moral stances and stand up to the powers that be because she understands that if you don’t fight for working people, you shouldn’t be in politics at all.
Further, Beauchemin’s campaign aims to protect higher education from Trump’s overreaches and to pass legislation that will make life more affordable after graduation. Beauchemin supports Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage and a Green New Deal. She knows that drastic climate action is necessary to protect our future. Our generation needs a candidate who will fight for us, and Paige Beauchemin is that candidate.
Our politics are broken, politicians don’t listen to or care about the needs of young people, and it’s past time for Gen Z’s voice to be heard. Beauchemin is the candidate who will fight for us, and she deserves your support.
Levi Hanscom ‘29 is a Dartmouth student and works as a volunteer fundraiser on Paige Beauchemin’s campaign for Congress. Guest columns represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
