Telegraph photo by MATHEW PLAMONDON New Hampshire Republicans applaud during the Tuesday fundraiser at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua.

“We’re going to work our butts off to win here in New Hampshire,” Lara Trump told the room of Republicans at the GOP’s “Spring to Victory” reception and dinner.

Lara Trump, 36, met Eric Trump, the president’s third child, at a New York nightclub six years before the couple married in 2014. Tuesday, she shared the stage with

• master of ceremonies Steve Stepanek, chairman of the state Republican Party,

• state House Minority Leader Richard Hinch, R-Merrimack,

Telegraph photo by MATHEW PLAMONDON Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump, speaks to New Hampshire Republicans at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua during the Tuesday fundraiser.

• former Gov. John H. Sununu, and

• his son, current Gov. Chris Sununu.

Lara Trump focused on what she called her father-in-law’s success in “finally heading this country in the right direction,” and predicting he will “go down in history as one of the greatest (U.S.) presidents ever.”

A former producer of the TV magazine “Inside Edition,” Lara told listeners her father-in-law will be coming to New Hampshire “sooner than later,” but wasn’t more specific.

Lara said New Hampshire is “a very special state to the Trump family,” and predicted President Donald Trump will win the state big in 2020 on his way back to the White House.

Former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu, father of current Gov. Chris Sununu, addresses the crowd of Republicans during the Tuesday fundraiser at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua.

Poll Problems

Statements made by Lara Trump on Tuesday defy both national and New Hampshire polling data, as well as recent Granite State election results.

A Feb. 28 University of New Hampshire poll showed 57 percent of likely Granite State Republican primary voters had yet to decide who they would support in the 2020 primary. Republicans known to be considering a primary against Trump include former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld and current Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Beyond this, a Quinnipiac University national poll of released last week asked voters from all parties the question: “In the 2020 general election for president, if Donald Trump is the Republican candidate, would you definitely vote for him, consider voting for him, or would you definitely not vote for him?”

Only 30 percent answered they would definitely vote for the president, while 53 percent said they definitely would not.

Furthermore, an astounding 68 percent of all respondents to the Quinnipiac survey younger than age 35 answered that they would definitely not vote for Trump.

As for New Hampshire’s general election history, Trump nearly defeated 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, as he only lost the state by about 3,000 votes. Still, no Republican has carried New Hampshire in the Electoral College since former President George W. Bush did so in 2000.

Nevertheless, Lara Trump remains confident. She mocked “fake news” for “getting it wrong” when her father-in-law won the presidency in defiance of the polls in 2016.

“The next day, the media and the Democrats had a meltdown,” she said with emphasis, drawing sustained applause and cheers. “And they continue to melt down, every day since.”

State GOP Leaders

Other Tuesday speakers sounded the alarm to their fellow Republicans, warning them the party “needs to make things happen … we need to have wholesale change in 2020,” Stepanek said.

“We’re asking you to roll up your sleeves and do things that have never been asked of you before,” Stepanek said. “We have to understand the Democrats out-organized us, outraised us … and quite frankly, we need to do a better job as a party.”

Help is on the way, Stepanek added, citing recent word that the National Republican Committee has agreed to deploy several “ground people” to New Hampshire to begin preparing for the 2020 election.

Former Gov. Sununu reminded the audience that state Republicans, as well as the national GOP, are facing “a crucial election … don’t kid yourselves. On a national level, you have a Democratic Party seriously talking about socialism. They’re getting traction, and we have to stop it,” he said.

Sununu went as far to suggest New Hampshire Democrats are “legalizing illegal voting,” and are “changing New Hampshire (by) doing things we know would destroy New Hampshire as we know it today.”

Hinch, making full use of his booming voice, warned fellow Republicans that “your New Hampshire advantage is under attack … Our New Hampshire advantage is under attack. I say to this, hell no,” he said.

Democrats “have swooped in … it’s scary, it’s bad for New Hampshire. It will destroy the New Hampshire advantage,” Hinch said, referring to the Democratic majority in Concord.

Granite Staters, Hinch continued, could very well face “hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes and fees” under the Democratic majority. “Someone needs to tell them that taxation is theft,” he fairly shouted.

Democrats, according to Hinch, are also “grabbing at our guns … and are even taking away our plastic straws and bags.”

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