New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate Jon Kiper said he will leave the Democratic primary to instead organize a new political party he is calling the Community First Party, which he intends to use as the ballot designation for his 2026 bid.
In a video posted Tuesday, Kiper said he was “done” with both the Democratic and Republican parties and identified himself as a candidate for the new party. He also began promoting the organization’s website and message and, in a separate video recorded outside his local town hall, confirmed that he had officially left the Democratic Party.
Kiper said he had initially hoped to help reform the Democratic Party from within but became discouraged by what he saw as the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in national politics. In explaining his departure, he referenced a March video from AIPAC featuring Chris Pappas in which the congressman defended U.S.-Israel relations and portrayed Iran as a security threat, calling it the “final nail in the coffin” that made it untenable for him to remain in the party.
Kiper is a local restaurant owner, author, and former Newmarket town councilor who was first elected in 2019 as a write-in candidate, serving a single term. He also ran in the 2024 Democratic primary for governor, finishing third with 9.4 percent of the vote. More recently, he published Community First Economics, a policy book tied directly to his campaign message on housing, taxes, and local business.
Kiper launched his current gubernatorial campaign in 2025, initially as an independent candidate before pivoting back to the Democratic Party. He had been pursuing the nomination for months and was the only declared candidate in the race until Cinde Warmington, who also ran in the 2024 primary, entered the race earlier this year.
At this stage, the Community First Party is closely tied to Kiper’s candidacy and policy agenda. According to its website, the organization primarily focuses on housing affordability, property taxes, and cost of living in New Hampshire. It also calls for support for small businesses and keeping wealth circulating within local communities rather than flowing to what it describes as outside corporate interests.
The party states that candidates seeking its support are required to sign a pledge rejecting hate and supporting democracy.
The organization characterizes its outlook as closest to “libertarian socialist” and combines support for personal freedom with community-level economic investment. Its wider platform includes support for the Second Amendment, universal healthcare, opposition to government surveillance, socialized housing, and an automation tax on companies benefiting from artificial intelligence and labor displacement.
The Community First Party also defines itself in opposition to other political alternatives. The party explicitly distances itself from both the Forward Party and the non-electoral No Labels organization, calling them “centrist coalitions funded by wealthy donors who want to split the difference between two broken parties.” Instead, it says it aims to replace that framework entirely with its own community-driven economic vision.
To appear on the New Hampshire general election ballot, Kiper must qualify by petition as a non-major party candidate, collecting at least 3,000 valid signatures by the June deadline. If successful, he can then appear on the ballot using “Community First” as his designation.
If he earns at least 4 percent of the vote in November, the Community First Party would be able to qualify for official recognition, allowing it to hold state-run primaries and register voters as members. The party would also have a ballot line moving forward.
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