N.H. voters still relish face time with hopefuls
LITTLETON, N.H. – Televised debates may draw millions of viewers, but retail politics remains key for presidential hopefuls looking to reach undecided voters in the Granite State.
Roughly a dozen Democrats vying for the Oval Office in 2020 are set to campaign in New Hampshire in the opening weeks of summer — marching in Fourth of July parades, popping up in distilleries and breweries from the lakes to the White Mountains, holding meet-and-greets and snapping selfies.
“It’s the tradition – we’re first in the country,” said Rob Desmarais of Littleton, who donned a “Gore 2000” T-shirt to come see U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar at Schilling Beer Co. Saturday afternoon. “I just like seeing candidates come around locally. It’s nice to hear them one-onone and not on television or commercials.”
As the home of the firstin-the-nation primary in February, New Hampshire voters are getting an early, in-person look at the presidential candidates, many of whom have already made several sweeps through the state in the early months of the 2020 cycle. While debates create “moments” that net millions of dollars for candidates, and viral social media posts create buzz, voters here tell the Herald they still want to meet the person they’re potentially voting for face-to-face.
“I love it, just to be able to see people face-to-face and ask questions,” said Susan Rashid Horn, a Tamworth independent. “It’s really a wonderful thing.”
Rashid Horn went to Tamworth Distilling & Mercantile Saturday to see U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. She’s already seen Klobuchar, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and said two of her favorites so far are U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.
But, she added, “My mind is open.” During the 2016 Republican primary, Rashid Horn had a poor opinion of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — until she saw him speak in person.
“He did a beautiful job in retail politics,” Horn said. She’s now applying that open mindset to the 2020 Democratic candidates as well.
As a relatively new Granite Stater, Hope Hutchinson — who moved to New Hampshire about a year ago — is taking full advantage of candidates’ increased attention on the state. The Silver Lake Democrat has so far been impressed by Harris and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., but wanted to “get a little sense” of Gillibrand.
“In the debates you get so little,” Hutchinson said.
Gillibrand, who is in the midst of a weeklong run through all 10 New Hampshire counties, touched on the importance of meeting voters where they are.
“It doesn’t matter if your county’s red or rural, (or if ) it doesn’t vote for me. I go everywhere,” Gillibrand told the packed distillery. “It’s me showing up to every state, every county, every place where people feel deeply left behind, listening first, finding that common ground, reaching across the aisle and actually passing legislation and getting things done. That’s how you do it.”