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Why A Pro-Hillary Clinton Group Cares About This New Hampshire Special Election

Why A Pro-Hillary Clinton Group Cares About This New Hampshire Special Election
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Staff Reporter, The Huffington Post

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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 07: Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends the event 'Equality for Women is Progress for All' at the United Nations on March 7, 2014 in New York City. The event was part of the United Nations International Women's Day, which is celebrated tomorrow, March 8. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

What does a state election in New Hampshire have to do with the 2016 presidential race? A pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC has the answer.

Members of Ready for Hillary, the super PAC working to build support for a potential Clinton presidential campaign in 2016, have been on the ground in Hanover and Plymouth, N.H., promoting Democrat Michael Cryans, who faces Republican Joe Kenney in Tuesday's special election to fill the state's open Executive Council seat, according to WMUR.

The group, which raised over $4 million in 2013, has faced recent pressure from Democratic activists in Iowa and New Hampshire to be more proactive in supporting Democratic candidates in this year's midterm elections.

New Hampshire is a significant state in the presidential primary process, so Ready for Hillary's efforts may have more to do with positioning Clinton favorably in 2016, and less to do with the particular functions of the state's Executive Council, which, among other responsibilities, approves state contracts.

Seth Bringman, Ready for Hillary's communications director, kept his answer vague when asked why the group would pay attention to a lower-profile race.

The Executive Council already tilts Democratic, with just one Republican member to three Democrats.

"Ready for Hillary wants our supporters to know about today's election and to get out and vote," Bringman told HuffPost in an email Tuesday. "This is a critical election for the Granite State, and Ready for Hillary's grassroots supporters are mobilizing.”

New Hampshire's presidential primary is traditionally held second, after Iowa's caucuses, which likely explains why Ready for Hillary's senior advisers and staff spent a considerable amount of time with local political officials in January. Ready for Hillary is focusing on small-dollar donations, so making early contact with grassroots activists and volunteers in the Granite State would dovetail with the group's national outreach model.

Clinton edged out President Barack Obama to win New Hampshire's Democratic primary in January 2008.

The former Secretary of State has said she'll make a decision about another presidential run "sometime" this year.

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Before You Go

Hillary And Bill Through The Years
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Their wedding day on October 11, 1975 (credit:Facebook)
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Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas,right, and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, chat with Mochtar Riady, chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Bank at a reception hosted by Riady, Oct. 7, 1985. Clinton is in Hong Kong for a three-day trade promotion tour. (AP Photo/Dick Fung) (credit:AP)
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Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary arrive for dinner at the White House Sunday evening, Feb. 23, 1986. (AP photo/Ron Edmonds) (credit:AP)
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Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Clinton is joined by his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton, left, on the day he announced his bid for the presidency in Little Rock, Arkansas on Nov. 3, 1991. Clinton denied on Friday reports of rumored extramarital affairs, saying the charges were “simply not true.” (AP Photo) (credit:AP)
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Then Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Clinton hugs his wife Hillary at Clinton's election night party at the Merrimack Inn, in Merrimack, N.H. in this Feb. 18, 1992 file photo. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File) (credit:AP)
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Hillary Clinton, right, embraces her husband, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, in Los Angeles Tuesday night after he secured enough delegates to capture the Democratic presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) (credit:AP)
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Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary dance on stage during a "Get-Out-The-Vote" rally at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. Sunday night, Nov. 1, 1992. (AP Photo/Susan Ragan) (credit:AP)
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Democratic presidential nominee Gov. Bill Clinton gives his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, a kiss as she joined him at the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center in Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 16, 1992. She had just taped "The Home Show." (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) (credit:AP)
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Arkansas Gov. and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign outside the Tampa Convention Center on Monday, March 9, 1992 on the eve of Super Tuesday. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (credit:AP)
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Framed by a huge American flag, Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton wave to supporters during a rally at a downtown Chicago hotel Tuesday, March 17, 1992. Clinton won both the Illinois and Michigan primaries. (AP Photo/Charles Bennett) (credit:AP)
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Democratic presidential candidate Gov. Bill Clinton, of Arkansas, walks with his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton after the couple voted at Dunbar Community Center in Little Rock, Ark., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1992. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)Correction: A previous version of this slide misnamed Hillary Rodham Clinton as Hillary Rodham Glinton. (credit:AP)
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U.S. president-elect Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, hug each other during an appearance at the Old State House in Little Rock, Ark., following the presidential election victory, Tuesday night, Nov. 3, 1992. (AP Photo/Doug Mills) (credit:AP)
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President-elect Clinton and his wife Hillary ride on the beach at Hilton Head Island, S.C. on Friday. They are on the island for vacation and Renaissance Weekend. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)January 1993 (credit:AP)
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President and Mrs. Clinton stand with South African President Nelson Mandela and his daughter, Zinzi Mandela Hlongwane, Tuesday night, Oct., 4, 1994 at the North Portico of the White House. The Clintons hosted a state dinner for Mandela. (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander) (credit:AP)
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President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton leave the Marine One helicopter for Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Oct. 25, 1994. The president left for the Middle East to celebrate peace in the shadow of violence and pledged to use his high profile mission to salute the new Israeli-Jordanian pact. (AP Photo/Shayna Brennan) (credit:AP)
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President Clinton laughs at the sight of a staff member (not shown) wearing a Santa hat as he, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter Chelsea leave Foundary Methodist Church in Washington after attending services Sunday morning, Dec. 25, 1994. At rear is an unidentified Secret Service agent. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) (credit:AP)
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President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton arrive at a dinner at the White House, Sunday night, Jan. 29, 1995. The former Arkansas governor was hosting the state executives Sunday night at an annual black-tie dinner for the National Governors' Association, a group he once headed. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson) (credit:AP)
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President and Mrs. Clinton laugh during the introductions of a concert Wednesday night, May 17, 1995 on the South Lawn at the White House. The concert was being taped for a PBS television series "In Performance at the White House" and will be aired this fall. The hour-long performance, featuring the women of country music, was hosted by Chet Atkins. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) (credit:AP)
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