[L]ACONIA, N.H. — While Pete Cote, 32, lives in the heart of a state already in the midst of a vigorous political primary season, he said that none of the candidates has grasped his attention, or his support, in their swings through New Hampshire.
But Cote said his mind changed Thursday when he attended a roundtable on the crisis of opiate addiction hosted by Hillary Clinton, who laid out her vision on how to address the crisis in a session that included Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin.
Cote, who said he is 10 months sober, shared his story of addiction with Clinton and the crowd, and left the event with a “Hillary” sticker on his shirt and a newfound respect for the former secretary of state.
“I had no political interest until now,” he said. “Now I do. She seems genuine in that she really wants to provide funding for treatment, and that’s important to me.”
Clinton told the Laconia crowd that she was first alerted to issues around addiction during her first Granite State visit, in Keene.
“I, of course, expected to hear about the economy, about how to afford college, what to do about student debt, health care, the kinds of things people expect to talk about in a presidential race,” Clinton said. “The very first question was: What will you do about the heroin epidemic?”
Opiate addiction is growing in New Hampshire, and Laconia serves as an example of the state’s crisis. The city is seeing between three and 10 heroin overdoses a week, according to local news reports. This year, the Laconia Police Department created a special position of treatment coordinator.
While the issue is growing in politically important primary states like New Hampshire, it was first highlighted as a major issue in Vermont when Shumlin dedicated his entire 2014 State of the State address to addiction.
Clinton reached out to Shumlin, seeking advice on how to craft the best plan to tackle opioid addiction nationally, according to Scott Coriell, an aide to the governor. She also dispatched a top adviser to New Hampshire to collect policy proposals from locals leading the charge against opioid addiction.
“I appreciate not only [Shumlin’s] endorsement of my campaign — which means a great deal to me — but all the work he has done and the commitment he has made,” Clinton said.
Shumlin made his first official appearance with Clinton on Thursday following his endorsement of her in May. Clinton praised Shumlin’s leadership on issues of substance abuse in her remarks, an admiration that was reciprocated by Shumlin. Shumlin, a past president of the Democratic Governors Association, chose Clinton over her leading opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the Democratic primary.
“We’ve got a candidate running for president who listens, who learns with us, and who is willing to take on tough challenges and actually make things happen in Washington, D.C.,” Shumlin said “She’s got the vision to help us make this country great again.”
Garrison Nelson, a professor of political science at UVM, said that Shumlin’s advisory role to Clinton on this issue is politically advantageous for the governor, who may be angling for a position in a Clinton administration.
“Shumlin, whose elective career is probably over, is hoping and praying for a Hillary victory and to get an appointment,” Nelson said.
Clinton’s $10 billion drug abuse plan, released in early September, contains many similarities to Vermont’s approach to battling addiction.
Among the overlapping ideas are providing first responders with Naloxone, a drug effective in preventing fatal opioid overdoses, and reforming the criminal justice system to prioritize rehabilitation and treatment over prison.
While addiction is not at the forefront of the national political dialogue, Clinton’s focus on the issue is drawing interest, with more than 200 people attending the two-hour long roundtable in the hot, cramped auditorium of the local Boys and Girls Club.
Neither Sanders nor Democratic hopeful Martin O’Malley have unveiled a plan to combat opioid addiction, with Clinton’s campaign website the only one to detail a comprehensive plan on the issue. In recent months, Sanders has pushed to lower the cost of Naloxone.
Sanders also briefly addresses the issue in his racial justice platform, writing “We need to invest in drug courts as well as medical and mental health interventions for people with substance abuse problems.”
On the Republican side, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has highlighted the issue in New Hampshire and Rand Paul has introduced legislation that would increase the availability of treatment to addicts.
Nelson said that while Sanders and others have not offered specific policy prescriptions on the matter, candidates aren’t required to address every issue afflicting early primary states in order to win.
He pointed to recent polls that put Sanders ahead in New Hampshire, and said that the Vermont senator could easily link his rhetoric on income inequality to substance abuse.
“I don’t see it as a big winning issue here, but Clinton’s losing in New Hampshire so this is a Hail Mary for her,” Nelson said.
Still, while the issue might not vault Clinton to the top of the polls, Laconia residents thanked Clinton for her acknowledgement of the issue, and the former secretary of state became emotional as residents recollected the moments they lost friends and family to drug overdoses.
“It’s good to have a candidate running for president that is willing to push for funding, because we need it,” Cote said. “I don’t want to go to any more funerals; I’m going to one this weekend.”
