Leonard Robinson has gone public after being shut out of a Kamala Harris campaign event in New Hampshire.
Robinson, a journalist for the right-leaning NHJournal, said he was barred from covering the former vice president’s Saturday appearance in Manchester despite having RSVPed the day before. The reporter, who has covered multiple Democratic officeholders, said staffers told him his name was not on the list and cited “full capacity” as the reason for his exclusion.
The journalist wrote on X that he had previously covered Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, “who happily answered my question.”
“When I showed up at the @KamalaHarris event in Manchester tonight, I was told my name wasn’t on the list,” Robinson wrote.
According to his social media thread, a representative of Reproductive Freedom for All spoke with Robinson before approaching staffers for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas. Robinson identified a staffer who “waved her hands no and prevented my entry, citing ‘full capacity.'”
“Minutes later, a photographer showed up who was not on the list and was allowed in to cover the event. So much for ‘full capacity,'” Robinson wrote.
His attempts to reach Harris campaign officials directly also failed. “I asked repeatedly to speak with someone from the campaign directly. I was blocked from that, too,” he wrote.
Robinson noted that New Hampshire Democrats have previously “physically blocked” him and withheld event locations from his publication, but he added: “Nothing compares to Harris’s visit.”
He tied the exclusion to broader concerns about the state’s political culture. “I’m quite proud of New Hampshire’s tradition of grassroots, retail politics,” he wrote. “Denying press access is bad for the democratic process and the #FITN primary.”
The Manchester incident follows other recent complaints about restricted media access to Harris events. KCRA 3 reporter Ashley Zavala said her station and the outlet were excluded from an Oct. 2 Sacramento campaign appearance featuring Harris and Democratic congressional candidate Richard Pan, a physician and former state senator challenging incumbent Rep. Kevin Kiley.
Zavala reported that a Pan campaign spokesman placed responsibility with Harris’ office, stating: “All credentialing to the campaign office drop was directed by VP Kamala Harris’ office.”
However, Zavala subsequently reported that a person on Harris’ team denied responsibility and said Pan’s campaign handled press access. Pan campaign manager Daisy Stein described the appearance as “a pooled press event,” according to Zavala, who disputed that characterization. Zavala said there was no credential application process and that only a handful of outlets received emails confirming they could attend. Neither Harris nor Pan took reporters’ questions, she said.
The access disputes come as Harris faces speculation about a potential third presidential run and works the campaign trail ahead of midterm elections. Her team has not responded to requests for comment on the New Hampshire incident.
Limiting media access has become an increasingly partisan flashpoint. President Trump revoked White House press credentials for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico in September, accusing the outlets of publishing “FICTION and LIES,” before a federal judge ordered their access restored. Newsom’s office has also faced criticism for restricting press access, excluding certain outlets from reviewing his tax returns in July while granting access to select news organizations.
Harris is scheduled to continue her midterm campaign travel with upcoming appearances in additional battleground states.