Advertisement Longtime influential NH Democratic leader Kathy Sullivan endorses Elizabeth Warren for president Democratic National Committeewoman, former party chair calls Massachusetts senator best choice to bring much-needed change to nation Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday was endorsed by one of the state’s longest-serving and most influential Democratic leaders.Democratic National Committeewoman and former state party chair Kathy Sullivan of Manchester threw her support behind the Massachusetts senator, telling WMUR in an exclusive interview that Warren, as president, would be a leader who would bring much-needed change to the nation. “We’re at a time in our country’s history when we need to talk about some economic reform, just like Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt did in the 20th century,” Sullivan said.“In order to continue making America a place where all Americans can grow and prosper, send their kids to college, have a home, make sure their parents are taken care of in their older age, we need to make some changes and make things better for people in this country. “And I think Elizabeth Warren is the person to do that.”Sullivan, who has long been an advocate for families and, specifically, for women, said Warren is inspirational but also has the ability to “make government work – for everyone."“No one in the race has a grasp on the intricacies of our economy more than Elizabeth," Sullivan said.Sullivan was the second major endorsement secured by Warren on Tuesday. WMUR first reported early in the day that state Sen. Kevin Cavanaugh, who is also a Manchester alderman, backed her and was the first state senator to do so.Sullivan has been the state’s Democratic National Committeewoman since 2008 and is recognized as a leader in the constant vigilance necessary to keep the New Hampshire presidential primary first in the nation on the DNC presidential nominating calendar.She serves on the national party's powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee and is a former member of the Credentials Committee.Confidence in Warren's position on primaryWarren, in an interview with WMUR in early January, gave a strong endorsement of the four early voting states in the presidential nominating process but stopped short of saying that New Hampshire’s primary should remain the first primary in the nation in the future.“There are a lot of ways to think about the order, but the key is these are four states that represent four very different parts of the country and four very different sets of issues, and I think that’s important,” Warren said on Jan. 2.Sullivan said Tuesday she believes Warren is a supporter of keeping New Hampshire's primary first.“I have full confidence in Elizabeth Warren’s commitment to the New Hampshire primary," Sullivan said. See our full report on Sullivan and Warren on the primary issue here.Sullivan chaired the New Hampshire Democratic Party from 1999 to 2007, during a time that the party began its rise to challenge the long Republican dominance of the state’s high elected offices.She headed a draft committee in 2007 to convince then-former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen to run for a second time for the U.S. Senate. Shaheen ran and won.Sullivan and was co-chair of Sen. Maggie Hassan’s first campaign for governor in 2012. She co-chaired Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire in the 2008 cycle and was a top supporter of Clinton again in 2016.'Lived a life of most Americans'Sullivan told WMUR she met most of the major candidates.“They’re all great,” she said. “But I just think, after meeting them all, hearing them all and thinking about it quite a lot, I decided that Elizabeth Warren is the best one and the one I wanted to support.”“She’s extremely smart. She also has a very compelling life story. Elizabeth Warren has lived a life of most Americans. She grew up in a working family out in Oklahoma. She went to public schools. She didn’t inherit anything. She had to work hard. She was a single mom for a while.“She attended public college, public law school and has just been the American dream, that she came from a working family out in the heartland and has now come to the point where she’s running for president,” Sullivan said. “It is the American story.” Sullivan also said that Warren “is not ‘of Washington.’ Yes, she’s in the United States Senate but she hasn’t been in Washington for years and years and so, therefore, she’s more in tune with what’s going on outside of Washington and with the needs of the people of this country.”“I’m convinced she can win this primary and I’m hoping to do everything I can to help her win this primary.”