Name a journalist who has interviewed four presidents and close to 100 candidates. Name one who interviewed Nikki Haley more than a dozen times and Ron DeSantis almost as many during this election cycle. Name someone who has sat down with Donald Trump about a half dozen times over the years.
Still thinking?
What if I told you that one person did all of these things?
Savannah Guthrie? No. David Muir? Please be serious. Anderson Cooper? Nope. Sean Hannity? Sorry. Leslie Stahl? Hard no.
Chris Ryan? Yes!
Of course, you’re asking who in tarnation (always wanted to work that phrase into a column – thanks Yosemite Sam) is Chris Ryan?
It’s a fair question because outside of New Hampshire media, you may only hear from him or see him once every four years. However, every four years, he may be one of the most impactful journalists in the country (not to take away from the fine work he does the other three!).
Chris Ryan has been in New Hampshire news radio for 22 years. He looks young, so if you meet him, you’re probably thinking, “When did he start, 15?!?!” Well, you would not be far off as Ryan’s radio career began when he was 19-years old.
Currently, he hosts NH Today on New Hampshire’s iHeart radio networks from 6-9 in the morning. He also can be seen making TV appearances ranging from the Boston NBC station to Fox News. Oh, and on the side, he also covers the New England Patriots for WBZ Radio out of Boston.
I first met Chris in 2020 when I spent parts of six months in New Hampshire for a show I wrote and hosted for New England Cable News on the television side. Chris came on the show all the time. Back then, we struggled with Skype and really could have benefitted from the wide acceptance, usage and approval of remote internet-based interviews that were normalized during the pandemic, but that’s a story for another day. Chris also gave invaluable guidance to our staff about the geography, culture and people of the quirky yet amazing state of New Hampshire. The show was awesome, and a lot of it had to do with his knowledge, input and generosity (he was not paid).
“One of the best parts of my job is having consistent conversations with the major candidates,” said Chris Ryan who is now covering his sixth presidential cycle.
If you want a true sense of the people who may take the job as the world’s most powerful person, Chris is the guy to talk to.
“I’ve learned a lot about the human side of politics,” he said. “It is rough, mean and vicious. But seeing the candidates in lighter and tense moments allows you to see the fragility, and self-doubt of these individuals.”
Some say New Hampshire was a bit of a dud in this election cycle, and there are concrete reasons for that. First of all, the incumbent, President Joe Biden, wasn’t even on the primary ballot in New Hampshire because he chose to recognize South Carolina as the nation’s first primary.
Secondly, and more politically relevant, the race for the Republican nomination is truly rare in American History, and it has nothing to do with the number of court cases surrounding Donald Trump.
You see, in 2024, the Republican frontrunner already has been the party’s nominee twice, and he’s been president once. There’s no grassroots growth to a campaign that’s already huge.
I mean, he’s already been President.
The impact of this rare dynamic is that Trump doesn’t need to do roll up his sleeves and politics at the hand-to-hand level.
“He hasn’t taken a voter’s question this cycle, no local media interviews, and not much retail campaigning,” Ryan said. “In other words, he hasn’t gone through the type of vetting that makes this primary pivotal.”
All of Ryan’s interactions came in 2016 when Trump ran for the first time – and won the White House.
This odd situation – a former President running as a challenger who is already a household name and massive favorite – also means that that his competition has been muted; very few candidates in New Hampshire even set up multiple campaign offices this time around.
Also, technology continues to evolve its influence on the campaign.
“Campaigns rely much less on a traditional ‘ground game’ (door knocking, etc) and much more on digital ads,” Ryan said. “Smartphones and Twitter (X) weren’t really a thing in 2003-4, so candidates were less concerned about viral moments and voter interactions going wrong.”
Despite the changing elements of the primary, Chris Ryan still relishes that his state remains a major part of the political calendar.
“It’s truly a privilege to ask questions of newsmakers and provide background on who these individuals are. I’m a huge student of history and it’s remarkable to play any role in this process,” he said.
I can attest that, yes, New Hampshire demographics do not necessarily reflect the whole nation’s demographics (i.e. it’s wicked white). But the “Live Free or Die” state takes this stuff seriously. All you have to do is attend a candidate appearance at a random diner at 7 am on a Tuesday, and you will see for yourself. The citizens of New Hampshire want to test candidates – for all to see.
The question now: What happens next with New Hampshire and its first-in-the-nation status? Does it lose its stature and status for good when 2028 could be an open race on both sides?
“This is an interesting time for our primary,” admitted Chris Ryan. “A Trump victory here will both enhance and diminish our first-in-the-nation status.
“First off, the RNC will vote to keep New Hampshire first in 2028 with Trump’s blessing at the convention, if he’s the nominee and he wins here Tuesday,” Ryan said. “The democrat’s situation will be even more interesting. Joe Biden and the DNC aren’t recognizing our primary and are saying South Carolina is the start of the primary calendar.
“This has been a strategic blunder, but will it be corrected, or will the DNC double down? Then, how will the candidates react? Will they visit here and hope to get some early momentum, or stay away and not risk the ire of the national democrats?”
Let’s hope not.
Anyone who’s been to New Hampshire understands why, and to be honest, it’s awesome when great career-long radio journalists get to take center stage every four years.
