Independents’ day is coming in N.H.
Undeclared voters hold key role in primary
Independent voters in the Granite State say they’re trying to remain focused on candidates and not political party during the 2020 primary process despite the hyper-partisan hijinks at the State of the Union and the impeachment hearings.
“In terms of the impeachment, the results were predictable. I could have told you the outcome before it even got started,” said Ken Tentarelli, an undeclared voter who lives in Newbury, N.H.
President Trump touted that acquittal Thursday, calling Democratic leaders “vicious and mean.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared Trump, “impeached forever,” while defending her decision to rip up Trump’s speech after his State of the Union.
“I guess I tend to look at the candidates and their positions more than their party,” said Tentarelli, who voted for former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich in 2016, and is leaning towards Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar this time around.
Undeclared voters make up 42 percent of those registered in New Hampshire, and they can vote in either the Democratic or Republican Primaries. The excitement appears to be on the Democratic side, where the loaded field includes former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sens. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Klobuchar. Undeclared voters can be a wildcard if enough Republicanleaning independents decide to take a Democratic ballot.
“I think a big turnout of independent voters is a good thing for Joe Biden,” said Jim Demers, a New Hampshire Democratic consultant who has endorsed the former vice president.
Frank Stama of Bedford is an undeclared voter who’s likely to vote for Trump in the general election unless a strong enough opponent appears. He said he’ll vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, although he doesn’t know who he’ll vote for yet.
“I’ve got Biden who’s Hillary without hair, I’ve got Bernie who’s a socialist, and I’m afraid to go for another unknown like Buttigieg because I’m afraid to elect another Obama,” said Stama.
But Stama bristles at the thought of being a Republican.
“I don’ t want to be driven by a political class. I want to vote for the person that rings my bell,” he said.
One thing is clear — New Hampshire voters are feeling the pressure following the caucus debacle in Iowa. Democratic
Party officials are asking for votes to be recounted following a glitch in the reporting system during the Feb. 3 caucuses.
“Our responsibility is to winnow the field,” said Demers. “We have this even bigger responsibility of kicking off the process because the first state blew it.”