- Title: USA: Preview of New Hampshire primary
- Date: 5th January 2008
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT ADAM BREEN SAYING: "So a lot of the times you get to ask candidates out of the box questions that aren't the fixed questions about healthcare and social security questions. And sometimes you get a real answer and sometimes you don't. It just depends." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT JOHN BARKER SAYING: "It's just re
- Embargoed: 20th January 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVASAJPTL2BR53SCGAZ8G0PEDP7
- Story Text: With the Iowa caucuses now behind them, U.S. presidential candidates are hitting the pavement in New Hampshire before the first official primary takes place on Tuesday (January 8).
New Hampshire and Iowa have historically been the first states to make their choice in the state-by-state battle to pick presidential candidates in November's election.
Dr. Anne Marie Cammisa, a professor at The New Hampshire Institute of Politics, says New Hampshire is unique, because it is the only state where all the candidates are on a level playing field.
"You get a person with no money, come to New Hampshire, or some money, very little money, they can travel around by car, get around the state and stay in the southern part of the state mostly because that's where most of the population is. The media is not expensive here, buying ad time in New Hampshire is not expensive, so you can spend a little bit of money on a campaign, suddenly get people interested in you, go high in the polls in New Hampshire and then the rest of the country starts paying attention ot you.
When the rest of the country starts paying attention to you, the media start focusing on you, then when the media starts focusing on you people start sending you money. Then you can be prepared to move into other states."
Cammisa points out that New Hampshire is also the state where former president Bill Clinton earned the nickname "The Comeback Kid," when he only placed second in the state's primary and lost in Iowa. She says this primary election can effectively shape the rest of the primary season.
As far as funding is concerned, for a candidate like Mike Huckabee who raised only $2.3 million (USD) in campaign funds before going into the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire is as open a field as it is for Mitt Romney who who spent $17 million (USD) of his own funds on his campaign, in addition to the funds he raised.
For candidates like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama who have ample funds to continue on with their campaigns, it's New Hampshire residents' passion for politics that is most critical, says Cammisa.
She explains that another unique factor of the New Hampshire primary is that people in the state are genuinely interested in politics.
"They take government seriously," she said. "The fact that they've had the first in the nation primary for so many years also means that they take this responsibility seriously. They're very civic minded, they understand that everyone in the U.S. and around the world is looking at New Hampshire and they really make an effort to make an informed decision."
That's why candidates hit the pavement in New Hampshire, visiting local coffee shops and holding small town hall meetings, where they answer questions and give voters one-on-one time.
For Adam Breen, who lives in Manchester, New Hampshire and has not yet made up his mind on a candidate, this is an important part of the process.
"So a lot of the times you get to ask candidates out of the box questions that aren't the fixed questions about healthcare and social security questions," Breen told Reuters.
"And sometimes you get a real answer and sometimes you don't. It just depends."
Breem's friend John Barker says he's already made up his mind. Barker says that while he usually votes Republican, he's made a conscious choice to choose someone based on his values, not his party affiliation.
"It's just really because he's not really a career politician so, I'm looking for a president who is actually gonna do what he says and I think Obama is the guy for that," Barker says.
While Tuesday's primary is the first, there is a lot at stake for candidates like Mitt Romney and Senator Hillary Clinton. On Friday (January 4), a Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll showed Republican Senator John McCain holding a four point edge over Mitt Romney. As for Obama, Cammisa says there is a good chance his bounce from defeating Senator Clinton and John Edwards in Iowa could take him through New Hampshire as well. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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