Hillary Clinton returning to New Hampshire — but not for a 2028 comeback

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is returning next month to New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House.

But that doesn't mean the Democratic Party's 2016 presidential nominee is looking to make a comeback in 2028.

While a growing number of potential contenders for the next Democratic presidential nomination have made stops in New Hampshire, as well as in South Carolina and Nevada, two other key early primary states, Clinton said in an interview last month she would not run for president again and that the party had a "good bench."

Instead, Clinton will headline the New Hampshire Democratic Party's (NHDP) annual spring fundraising dinner. The state party announced the news on Thursday and said the gala, titled the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, would be held on April 25 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

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"Through decades of public service — as First Lady, a U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State — Secretary Clinton has fought tirelessly for women's rights and been a champion for economic security around the world," longtime NHDP chair Ray Buckley said. "Her work to expand voting rights, strengthen child and family leave policies, and combat global health crises has made a lasting impact both here and abroad."

But not everyone's happy with Clinton's return to the key New England swing state.

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Responding to the news, a longtime progressive leader in New Hampshire, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital: "Although this may be a good invite to raise money for the party, it is another example of how completely tone-deaf the party is to the need for real change."

"As exemplary as Hillary Clinton’s conduct was with respect to the Epstein congressional subpoena, she’s yesterday’s news, hasn’t offered a new idea in decades and doesn’t serve the needs of building a new Democratic majority in New Hampshire," the progressive leader argued.

Clinton won the 2008 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary in her marathon battle against former President Barack Obama for the party's nomination.

But eight years later, in her second White House bid, she lost the New Hampshire primary in a landslide to progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of neighboring Vermont.

Since her loss to President Donald Trump in the 2016 general election, Clinton has made two return trips to New Hampshire. She made a stop in Concord in December 2017, as part of her book tour. And she spoke at Dartmouth College in 2019.

While some on the left take issue with the optics of Clinton's return to New Hampshire, both the former Secretary of State and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have long been supporters of New Hampshire's cherished position at the top of the primary calendar.

Lucas Meyer, a New Hampshire-based non-profit leader and former longtime president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, noted that "a lot of New Hampshire Democrats have a lot of affection and love for Secretary Clinton and for her service to our country."

And Meyer, a former campaign strategist, emphasized the state party’s fundraising dinner that Clinton is headlining "is about funding the apparatus to run campaigns over the next year. Secretary Clinton has a pretty broad appeal, and since she’s not running, there’s a little more flexibility for her to raise money for the party and to attract donors to cut checks for the state."