Advertisement Still exploring presidential run, Bill Weld to return to New Hampshire for busy five-day schedule Republican former Massachusetts governor to take downtown Concord walk with state RNC member Duprey

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As former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld continues to explore a candidacy for president, he will return to New Hampshire this week with a busy five-day schedule planned.Weld will meet privately in Concord on Monday with New Hampshire Republican National Committeeman Steve Duprey. Following the meeting, the two will hold a news conference and Duprey will then accompany Weld on a downtown walk.Duprey has been critical of President Donald Trump for recently blasting the late Sen. John McCain, to whom Duprey was a close advisor and friend.But Duprey said Trump’s criticism of McCain had nothing to do with his agreement to meet with Weld at Revelstoke Coffee and then walk along Main Street in Concord with him, greeting voters.“I do it for all Republican candidates or possible candidates,” Duprey said. “Folks forget that I did an event we called ‘Politics and Pie’ for Donald Trump when he first started his campaign.“Anybody who considers running in the Republican primary, I’m happy to meet or introduce to people.”Weld will be in the state Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and then return on Sunday, March 31, to attend a house party hosted by former state Republican Chair Fergus Cullen – a frequent Trump critic -- Cullen’s home in Dover.Weld will begin his schedule Monday morning and early afternoon by conducting local and national radio interviews – followed at 2:30 p.m. by the private meeting with Duprey at Revelstoke Coffee, and then their downtown walk.Weld is scheduled to meet with Gov. Chris Sununu at the State House at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.He will then participate at 10 a.m. Tuesday in a roundtable discussion with officials of the New Hampshire Coalition of Domestic and Sexual Violence, to be held at 1 Eagle Square, Concord. Survivors of domestic and sexual violence will also be part of the discussion.On Wednesday, Weld will have another local radio interview before traveling to Stratham for a private lunch with former New Hampshire House Speaker Douglas Scamman Jr. and former state Rep. Stella Scamman.Also Wednesday, Weld will visit WMUR to tape an installment of the station’s “Conversation with the Candidate” series, to be aired Thursday at 7 p.m.Weld on Thursday will have a private lunchtime meeting with former state Sen. Nancy Stiles of Hampton before touring and meeting with employees of Turbocam, a manufacturing firm in Barrington, at 1:30 p.m. The tour will be conducted by company founder Marian Noronha and senior members of management.Weld will then return to the state on March 31 for the Cullen house party.Weld announced the formation of an exploratory committee on Feb. 15 in New Hampshire, calling Trump "too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office."Sources close to Weld say he is expected to announce his decision on whether to become a candidate within the next month.Duprey, meanwhile, said his decision to meet with Weld and accompany him on the downtown walk was not prompted by Trump’s comments about McCain.He recalled that when he chaired the NHGOP in 2000, he spent time with many Republican presidential candidates – from George W. Bush and McCain to Steve Forbes, Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer – introducing them to Granite Staters. Duprey also said his decision to spend time with Weld on Monday "is not an endorsement.”“I’m neutral throughout. Whether people decide to run or not, our job is to welcome them, let them know New Hampshire loves retail campaigning and tell them that if they do run, they should come to New Hampshire and meet people.”Duprey said that while the Republican National Committee can take sides in a contested nomination race, “We don’t do it in New Hampshire. It’s in our bylaws and it’s one of the reasons we keep the primary first.”Current state GOP chair Stephen Stepanek has said that the state party would not welcome Weld because he left the party in 2016 to run for vice president on the Libertarian ticket. He and other Republicans noted that Weld in 2008 endorsed future President Barack Obama and in 2016 spoke highly of Democrat Hillary Clinton.But Duprey said the state party in the past has welcomed Republicans who supported Democrats – including, he said, Trump, who donated to Democrats as a private citizen prior to being elected president. “Our primary is more important than any candidate, whether it’s an incumbent or a challenger,” Duprey said.