At 18, youngest New Hampshire delegate gets big honor at DNC
Aug. 21—Aliyana Koch-Manzur might be a small-town girl, but as the youngest delegate from New Hampshire, she played a big role in a not-so-lonely world Tuesday night in Chicago.
As Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" played, the 18-year-old from Exeter and recent graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy cast the state's 34 votes for presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention.
"The great, 'Live free or die' state of New Hampshire casts all 34 of our votes for our next Black woman and first South-Asian president, Kamala Harris," Koch-Manzur said from the floor of the United Center.
The song, which unlike other states' picks had no real connection to New Hampshire, didn't seem out of place, however, as the enthusiastic Koch-Manzur added to Harris's total during a musically themed roll call.
"I don't think I completely understood how big it was until I was in the moment," Koch-Manzur said.
Koch-Manzur and Joanne Dowdell, who introduced her, found out Tuesday morning they would be speaking for the state delegation. They only had a few hours to prepare.
"I didn't even really have time to be nervous," Koch-Manzur said.
The daughter of two immigrants, Koch-Manzur was the first person in her family to be a U.S. citizen. Her mother is from Bangladesh but identifies as a "full-blooded American," she said. Her father is from Germany.
The family moved to Exeter in 2021 from Massachusetts, where Koch-Manzur had followed her parents' example and became politically active, volunteering for Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign in 2015.
She said she's proud of the strong women who represent New Hampshire and is excited about the opportunity to help Harris become president.
"These incredibly strong women have helped shape who I want to be," she said.
It's a busy week for Koch-Manzur, who will move into her dorm on Friday at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Dowdell, a delegate at large who now works in Washington after living in Portsmouth for more than a decade, ran for the U.S. House in the 1st Congressional District in 2021. She was the first Black officer of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and the first African American presidential elector in New Hampshire history.
"Good evening, my name is Joanne Dowdell of the great state, home of the nation's first primary, New Hampshire, where we stand granite strong!" Dowdell said during the roll call. "We are so proud of the many women throughout our state committed to building a future of opportunity and trailblazing the way for all of us."
Dowdell said the electricity in the convention hall has been palpable since Monday, and there's a real sense of joy and optimism among Democrats.
"The one thing I've noticed is how engaged young adults are," she said. "Including space at the United Center for content creators to engage with their followers in real time was really smart."
She said the choice this year is simple: Harris is ready to lead on day one, and former President Donald Trump is a convicted felon who "poses a real threat to our democracy."
She's also proud that Harris, like herself, graduated from Howard University.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party was able to seat all of its 34 delegates, along with other youth delegates and state party leaders, despite a battle over the first-in-the-nation primary status. The party restored the state's delegates in April.
