N.H. has a lot on line as political proving ground
BOW, N.H. — A handmade sign follows Ohio Gov. John Kasich, tallying his time in New Hampshire in red and blue paint. Gov. Chris Christie’s wife knows thenumberof questions he’s answered at town halls, one of them about bobcats. Before he dropped out, Lindsey Graham followed the model of his good friend and two-time primary winner John McCain and met with voters nearly 200 times.
Leading GOP contender Donald Trump, though, has eschewed these intimate rituals of presidential politicking in New Hampshire for a far different pitch.
“I don’t even think I have to campaign anymore. Why amI evenwastingmy time?” Trump said recently in Nashua to a crowd that was massive by retail campaigning standards. “I can leave here right now; they’re going to vote forme.”
As the state celebrates the 100th anniversary of its presidential primary, Trump’s bravado has given rise to an uncomfortable argument: that, should his double-digit lead hold until the Tuesday primary, New Hampshire has as much to lose as any of the candidates.
Such an outcome would strike at the heart of the state’s claim to first-in-thenation status, as a presidential proving ground where celebrity and a sizable campaign war chest matter far less than candidates’ willingness to subject themselves to the rigorous scrutiny that voters see as their birthright.
For months, New Hampshire politicos have scratched their heads as poll after poll showed not onlyTrump in the lead, but Sen. Ted Cruz, another Republican hopeful who has only occasionally visited, right behind him.
“If a candidate can come in and win because he’s a celebrity with huge name recognition and deep pockets, and he doesn’t do any traditional retail … then you undermine not just the parties’ justification for schedulingNewHampshire first, you undermine the candidates’ motivation for coming here,” said Drew Cline, the former editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester’s main daily newspaper and traditionally a force in swaying public sentiment here.
“When you lose the ability to attract those other candidates here, part of what madeNewHampshire unique and special and attractive is undermined,” Cline added.
Kasich and Christie, who are perhaps counting the most on a strong showing in order to vault their candidacies into the top tier, have followed the traditional NewHampshire playbook.
A tally maintained by New England Cable News network showed that Kasich had held 180 campaign stops overall, just ahead of Christie’s 176.
“Whether I win or not, I believe in this process,” Kasich said. “I believe that folks in New Hampshire are the best screeners America can have to recommend to the country.”
Trumphas held 39 events in 30 trips to the state. And while most candidates arrived in New Hampshire from the Iowa caucuses with busy schedules through primary day, Trumporiginally planned to stop in only briefly — with just five scheduled events before votes are cast Tuesday.
Clinton, who trails VermontSen. BernieSandersby double digits inNewHampshire, according to public polling, has signaled that she will push to narrow the gap, relying on what she called residents’ insistence on giving candidates “the onceover, twice-over, thriceover.”
On Wednesday, she dismissed pundits’ advice that she pass on what could prove to be a futile New Hampshire campaign.
“I just could not ever skip New Hampshire,” she said in Derry. “I cannot even imagine not being here, not being in settings like this.”
Sanders, meanwhile canceled his only public event Wednesday in preparation for two nationally televised prime-time forums.