Rank punditry takes the lead on this edition of the New Hampshire Journal podcast as GOP strategist Periklis Karoutas of Legislative Strategies and Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare) with the Committee to Elect House Republicans review the field now that the filing period has closed. (Berry also explains why the REAL filing ends in two weeks.)

And NH-02 GOP candidate Victor Orlando talks about his race to win the Republican nomination and take on Maggie Goodlander, and why he thinks he's a better candidate for the GOP than Lily Tang Williams.

PLUS -- The same state agency head whose department "accidentally" mishandled the ICE facility issue and created headaches for Gov. Ayotte is (shocked face!) supporting Cinde Warmington for governor. Why that story is bigger than it looks.

Hosted by Michael Graham, Managing Editor of NHJournal.com.

Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

After filing for re-election, Gov. Kelly Ayotte sat down for a one-on-one interview with NHJournal's Michael Graham to talk about her first-term record and how she plans to campaign to win another two years.

“If you want higher taxes, then you should vote for Cinde Warmington,” Ayotte said. “If you want to protect the New Hampshire Advantage — no income tax, no sales tax, no investment taxes, no new taxes — that’s what I stand for.”

Then some Rank Punditry with Sarah Scott of Americans For Prosperity (AFP-NH) and Drew Cline of the Josiah Bartlett Center. What were the most important accomplishments in this legislative session? What are Democrats' chances at winning control of the state Senate?

Sponsored by Perfect Smiles of Nashua.

For Memorial Day 2026, author and fan favorite J. Mark Powell joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Witness to War: The Story of the Civil War in the Words of Those Who Lived It.

Powell is the author of the popular "Holy Cow! History" articles from InsideSources.com.

He also talks about his days as a College Republican and his close encounter with Ronald Reagan -- and how he was almost part of history himself.