Advertisement State Sen. Martha Hennessey, former Booker supporter, endorses Buttigieg Hanover Democrat cites former mayor’s ‘values, honesty, temperament, intelligence’ Share Shares Copy Link Copy

When Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey left the presidential race last week, three New Hampshire state senators from different parts of the state were left without a candidate.>> Download the FREE WMUR appWMUR has learned that one of the three who had endorsed Booker – two-term Sen. Martha Hennessey of Hanover -- made her choice Wednesday, endorsing former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, citing his “values, honesty, temperament, and intelligence.”Hennessey is the first state senator to endorse Buttigieg. Her endorsement was aggressively sought by several campaigns after Booker left the race.Hennessey said she based her endorsement on Buttigieg’s positions on a wide range of issues, his temperament, intelligence and his youth. She called Buttigieg, 38, “the best candidate to turn the page on the Trump era and restore dignity and respect to the White House.“As our nominee, I know I can count on Pete to resist the president’s taunts, rise above the gutter politics of this administration and defeat Donald Trump,” Hennessey said in a statement. “With our nation in crisis, Pete will be able to unite the country and heal our divides so we can begin the difficult work of tackling the problems this administration has made worse."Hennessey is influential at the State House, in her Upper Valley Senate district and, on key issues, statewide.She has been at the forefront on gun violence prevention as an advocate for legislation to ban the carrying of firearms on school property. She has been an advocate on efforts to fight the opioid crisis, on addressing challenges surrounding mental health, on paid family and medical leave, hiking the minimum wage and issues specific to women – such as reproductive health and violence against women.During the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings on now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018, Hennessey revealed that as a student at Dartmouth College, she was assaulted by a male classmate.In the Senate, she chairs the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Transportation Committee. Previously she was a school psychologist, psychotherapist and a college professor.Hennessey said in an interview she sees similarities between Buttigieg and Booker.“Both are very focused on trying to bring our nation together, and I think they have very similar values,” she said. “I like Pete’s temperament, and, like Cory Booker, he is a good listener.“I also appreciate that he does not attack other candidates,” Hennessey said. “And yes, he’s young but he’s also old for his age, in a good way. He has quite a bit of experience in the military and as a mayor at an early age.“I found both Cory Booker and Pete Buttigieg to be very authentic – what you see is what you get. Pete is not putting on any airs and answers questions based on what he believes. He’s the genuine article and is not trying to be what he thinks the voting public wants him to be.”Hennessey said that after Booker dropped out, she read the speeches and the plans of all the remaining candidates and was especially impressed with Buttigieg’s plans on criminal justice reform and on racial justice, which he calls “The Douglass Plan.”Hennessey disclosed that while other candidates had aides talk to her, Buttigieg made a personal call, and the two talked for nearly an hour.“He answered every tough question I could think of,” she said.“It’s not that I dislike the other candidates, but he gave me the sense that he’s the steadiest in many ways, which is ironic considering his age," she said. "And he’s not part of what some might called the Washington swamp. He’s new and fresh.“We have such a wide range of ages among our candidates, and I think the country is ready for fresh new faces.”She said she was also impressed by his focus and positions on “issues that have to do with women. I tried very hard to support a woman, but I ended up thinking that was not the way to make this decision.”Hennessey’s Senate district borders Sen. Bernie Sanders’ home state of Vermont and includes Canaan, Charlestown, Claremont, Cornish, Enfield, Lebanon, Lyme and Plainfield, in addition to Hanover. It's among the key areas that will be closely watched as returns come in on the night of the primary.She joins U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, who represents Hennessey’s district and the rest of the 2nd Congressional District in Washington, and who endorsed Buttigieg last week.Buttigieg will return to the state on Friday for a town hall event at the Memorial Union Building at UNH in Durham at 7:15 p.m.Hennessey is the sixth of 14 Democratic state senators to endorse a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary. Sens. Jeanne Dietsch of Peterborough and Jay Kahn of Keene have endorsed Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sens. Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester and Martha Fuller Clark of Portsmouth have endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kevin Cavanaugh of Manchester this week endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren.The other senators who had endorsed Booker are David Watters of Dover and Jon Morgan of Brentwood.