HAMPTON, NH – Among the many reasons she’s running for U.S. Congress in New Hampshire’s District 1, Carleigh Beriont – a strong apple cider donut aficionado from Hampton who launched her first-ever political campaign in June – has not formally mentioned subsidizing cider donuts.
But since stepping onto the campaign trail in June, she’s had her fill.
“[My staffer] has been bringing me donuts from different parts of the state, so that I can have a whole, well-rounded approach to thinking about donuts,” said the 36-year-old Beriont.
While donuts are important to her identity as a Granite Stater, Beriont’s platform is all about promising an affordable New Hampshire for its residents.
An adjunct professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Beriont promises to work to build a Granite State where public education is protected, workers receive fair wages, families have access to affordable and guaranteed childcare, and climate change stays at the heart of all policy-making.
A lifelong educator, Beriont graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, and moved to the Marshall Islands afterward to continue her love for service and teaching there. She earned her Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School in Religion, Ethics, and Politics. She got her Ph.D. in the Study of Religion from Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
She now resides in Hampton with her husband, a public middle school teacher, and her two kids, a 4-year-old son, and a 7-year-old daughter.
In an interview with Manchester Ink Link this month, Beriont opened up about her legislative priorities, what prompted her to step into politics—and why she cares.
- Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your connection to New Hampshire?
I live on the Seacoast in New Hampshire with my two kids, and my husband. He teaches eighth grade English. I used to teach high school civics, but teach college students at Harvard now. I also serve on the Hampton Select Board.
New Hampshire is a great place to raise kids. My kids can come to local Democratic committee meetings, they go to Lions Club meetings, and they have a sense that they can actually help make a difference in their community.
Other than that, I’m a millennial. I’m 36. I came of age during a time when it seemed like America was really making a lot of progress toward some of these goals about things like equality. And I do think a lot of people are losing hope that we’re going to have a country that just thinks about regular working people.
I’m really invested in making sure that people realize that they matter.
- What’s your favorite thing about the Granite State?
I love New Hampshire because it’s like one of the most beautiful places in the entire world, and within a few hours, you can go from the beach and the ocean, to the mountains and the lakes and the forests. It’s a great place to live and to raise kids.
I love that it’s a purple state. It really helps you appreciate that there are a lot of different kinds of Democrats, Independents and Republicans, and a lot of different ways to be politically or civically involved in New Hampshire. I think that’s amazing.
- So you do teach politics, but what prompted you to join politics, and launch this campaign?
I’m a historian, and I teach students about history, and one of the things that I really try to emphasize to my students is that history isn’t something that happens to us.
During the 2016 election, I remember sitting in the classroom and being really scared about the direction that the country seemed to be headed in.
After the last election, in 2024, I was on the other side of the classroom, and I wanted my students to understand that we can make the laws we live by, choose the injustices that we fight, and the rights that we have. These are all things that are the result of choices made by people. I think that our government would be a lot better if those choices going forward were made by people more like me.
- What according to you is the biggest issue plaguing Granite Staters—and Americans— right now?
I think the biggest issue facing people right now is trust—and a lack of it.
People are looking for some kind of stability, some kind of sense that they can plan for the future. And that’s true for parents who are trying to decide if they should have kids, wondering if they are going to be able to afford to pay for child care. Or people who are dealing with their aging parents, thinking if they are going to be able to afford to keep their parents healthy and cared for.
And right now, people just don’t trust that there’s anyone looking out for them.
- You have a background in being an educator, why do you think you will be the right candidate to represent the interests of Granite Staters?
I love teaching, I love learning, I love asking questions, and I love thinking about things. On the campaign trail one of these days someone said, “you really think about what you think.” And I didn’t really know what that meant.
But through my experience having odd jobs—as a home health aide, working at a bakery and then as an educator, where I also helped unionize graduate students win better working conditions—I’ve had time to think about why things are the way they are, and what we could do differently to change them. I would be so excited to put that into action in Washington.
- In this increasingly polarizing environment, how will you work across the aisle with policymakers who hold different stances from you?
From what I’ve heard on the campaign trail, there is a lot of agreement among Republicans, Democrats and Independents, more than what we know of.
We all agree that housing is a problem or that we really need to make our health care system more affordable and less complicated. But it gives me a lot of hope that there are places where, as policymakers, we can make compromises and collaborate and move forward.
- What’s a great TV show you watched, or a book you read recently?
Oh God, I think the last thing I watched was KPop Demon Hunters because I have two young kids. Tragically, that’s the last thing I watched on TV.
- Is there a politician, current or historic, you really admire?
Elizabeth Warren. I worked on her campaign previously. And Nita Lowery, she passed away recently but she had such an important job to decide where all the money goes.
*Nita Lowey was the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. She died on March 15, 2025.
- Would you be able to sum up your legislative priorities in a sentence or two?
To work really hard to make life more affordable for people, and to do whatever I can to strengthen our democracy.
Read more about Beriont’s agenda here.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.