MANCHESTER — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Thursday announced he is endorsing Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky in New Hampshire’s Democratic gubernatorial race and former state Rep. Mindi Messmer, a Rye Democrat, for the state’s Executive Council to represent District 3.

“Real change comes from the bottom up, not the top down,” Sanders said. “This is why we need candidates who champion the people and the issues at every level, in every state. And this is why I am proud to stand with Andru and Mindi as we build a movement to transform this nation so that it works for all people.”

Volinsky has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to public service and defending against injustice — from fighting to save the pensions of New Hampshire’s public sector union workers to returning more than $100 million in overpaid health care premiums back to New Hampshire’s cities and towns, according to the endorsement.

Volinsky has also been a consistent advocate for New Hampshire's schools and property taxpayers for decades, having led the Claremont school suit legal team that overturned how New Hampshire was funding its schools. As an attorney, he has represented victims of workplace discrimination and people injured by big corporations, and has defended against the death penalty throughout the South and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I am proud and humbled to be Bernie’s first gubernatorial endorsement in 2020," Volinksy said in a prepared statement. "He recognizes the urgent need for new, people-powered leadership in the Granite State. I have taken inspiration from his campaign and refused to take corporate PAC and LLC money.”



Messmer, an environmental scientist and justice activist, serves as a Bernie 2020 campaign co-chair in New Hampshire. Messmer has successfully pushed through safer protections on drinking water and the environment to prevent cancer and chronic disease in New Hampshire.