Former College Democrats president Miles Brown ’23 announced his campaign for New Hampshire state representative on Instagram and Twitter on Thursday. Brown, a government major from West Hartford, Conn., will campaign over the summer leading up to the state Democratic primaries on Sept. 13 and plans to focus on student voting rights and mental health.
Brown is running for a seat in Grafton County’s 12th district, a district with four seats in the state legislature that includes the towns of Hanover and Lyme. Brown said that he plans to stay in New Hampshire over the summer to campaign, and if elected, he will remain in the Granite State for the entirety of his two-year term.
“Being representative in the New Hampshire house would be my top priority, I wouldn’t plan on missing any votes or hearings,” Brown said, adding that he would rearrange his class schedule to allow for drives to Concord.
Candidates for state office are required to file their campaigns by early June. Currently, anyone living in New Hampshire and eligible to vote in the United States can file to run in New Hampshire. The primary will take place on Sept. 13 and election day will be on Nov. 8.
Brown served from Jan. 2021 to April 2022 on the executive board for the Hanover and Lyme Town Democrats and the Upper Valley Democrats.
“I think I have the connections necessary to work with both students and town residents, which I hope to represent equally,” Brown said.
Brown said that he first realized he wanted to run for political office after seeing presidential candidates speak on campus in 2019 and working for former state representative Garret Muscatel ’20.
“I remember within the span of three weeks going to see Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigeg, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar — all within a five-minute walk from my dorm,” Brown said. “It was a really special moment where I was like ‘wow.’ As residents of New Hampshire we have real opportunity to shape the country.”
If elected, Brown plans to focus on upholding voting rights, especially for college students.
“There have been numerous attempts in the past few years in the New Hampshire state legislature to restrict student voting,” Brown said. “I want to be a voice for young people and college students in the state … the idea that I might not be able to cast a ballot here is pretty frightening.”
Brown said that the second main policy issue he would like to focus on, if elected, is student mental health.
“I am hopeful that as a young person, as a college student who is more in tune with the recent developments [in] mental health and treatment, that I can help reform New Hampshire’s education surrounding mental health,” Brown said. “I think New Hampshire [K-12] schools can be doing a much better job.”
Specifically, Brown said that New Hampshire should ensure mental health days for students, in which students take days off from school to address mental health issues. He noted that in most United States public schools, mental health concerns are not considered an excused absence from miss class.
“By allowing students to take those days off from school we could give them a break and help them recover,” he said.
Brown said he has around 20 volunteers who plan to work on his campaign. According to Brown, Prescott Herzog ’25 and Sophia Bokaie ’24 will serve in larger roles in the campaign, though their specific roles have not yet been determined.
Bokaie said that she first met Brown after getting involved with the College Democrats during her freshman year and has worked with him through the club ever since.
“[Brown] is very well respected by not only Dartmouth peers, but also by other elected officials in New Hampshire politics,” Bokaie said. “To represent Hanover … having a student voice, is very important,” she added.
Herzog, who is from Claremont, N.H., said that he has been involved with Upper Valley politics for “some time” and has witnessed Brown’s leadership in the College Democrats.
“I really believe [Brown] not only wants to represent the students but also be very impactful in his policy weight,” Herzog said.
The College Democrats will endorse Brown for state office, according to the organization’s president, Gabi Rodriguez ’23.
“[Brown] is really dedicated, organized and has a real knack for leadership,” Rodriguez said. “He fights for what he believes in [and] is a strong supporter of progressive issues.”
Currently, in the 12th district, there are four state representatives but none of them are students, according to Brown. With over 4,000 undergraduate students in the district, Brown said there should be a student representative in Concord.
“We need to send a student to the state House to reflect the interest of young people,” Brown said. “There are plenty of legislators that have been in the state House for upwards of 10 terms now and it’s time to have some fresh ideas, new perspectives.”
