Perhaps a stupid question, but just gotta ask....

[JMX]

There is a very good article in this week's Littleton Courier about New Hampshire's role in the presidential primary. I can't post a direct link because the article is restricted to paid subscribers, but the main website is www.courier-littletonnh.com.

Here is one interesting quote from Secretary of State Bill Gardner:

Originally Posted by Secretary of State Bill Gardner

The New Hampshire primary is an open, inclusive process. Anyone can get on the ballot if they accumulate the needed signatures. If the candidate cannot afford the $1000 fee, the state Legislature will pay. The primary tests all candidates. It winnows the field. It keeps the American dream alive. It is special to our nation. It tests the power of character and ideas. A man like Jimmy Carter can come to the state as an unknown and become a national figure. Candidates do not feel intimidated in small surroundings. They know New Hampshire will give them a fair shake. Candidates enjoy the voter participation and interaction and being close to the people. This is why the New Hampshire Primary is so important.

[CityGirl52]

Don't just think it's up in your little town of Littleton; it's all over the state. Even on the seacoast. The candidates are all hoping for recognition and they want all our votes. New Hampshire & Iowa are trends for the rest of the country.

I have to tell you? We met Hilary Clinton a few weeks ago and she was
GREAT! What an awesome Forum for her at the school's gym.

We also bumped in to a few others along the way here just in the past few weeks. St. Anselm's College in Goffstown had the Democratics Debate the other night and it was GREAT as well. We couldn't get tickets and we even have a family member going to school there and we STILL couldn't get in to see this thing. SO it's not who you know for these affairs and events in the state!

I haven't made up my mind yet on who I'm voting for. This dropping in to the State of New Hampshire by all these "hopefuls" will definitely be helping me make my decision over time.

[DareToDream]

Hi JMX and CityGirl - I knew the candidates were all over the state, I was just suprised that so many of them come through this "small town" I think it's great that they do and I like the opportunity to at least see them in person as opposed to on television, even if I don't get to meet them.....I lived in a more "heavily populated" area before moving to Littleton and we never had anyone come through town on a national level - I guess I just figured we were too "small" ... definitely a nice surprise for us! Hope this makes sense........

[nibseysgirl]

Originally Posted by windchimes03561

I will be the first to admit I am not well versed in politics - never have been and probably never will be! That being said.......We live in Littleton and have had numerous candidates come through town. When we lived in NYS, we lived in a much more populated area and never had any candidate come through town (other than maybe someone running for governor). The population in Littleton is much less, yet it seems almost every week someone is making a stop here in town.

I guess the question is, why do so many come through here? Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of them stopping in the smaller towns/areas and giving the people a chance to see them and "read" their body language, etc., in person, but I just don't understand why

Their party affiliation doesn't seem to matter, we've had both Rep. and Dem. come through. I also haven't seen a lot of "advanced notice" about them being in town, either. As an example, Sunday night, I caught a "blurb" on the TV news that Barack Obama would be in Littleton, but didn't catch what time. I hadn't seen anything in the weekly paper or the Caledonian (although I may have missed it). Yesterday morning, we were out early and sure enough, in the middle of town around 8:30 there he was. The same thing happened when John McCain was in town. Again, I may have missed some kind of "advanced notice", I don't always read the papers all the way through, or watch all of the news.

I guess I just have a hard time "wrapping my mind" around why they stop here. Can anyone shed some light on this?

NH is the first state to hold its primary. That is why candiates ALWAYS go to NH ...I dont see that as ever changing...At least you can be infromed(if that is what we can believe when they (the politicians speak)
Take Care
Lisa

[DareToDream]

Hi Lisa - One of the things I like about being up here is the chance to see the candidates "up close" and get the chance to "read them" which makes it easier to tell if they are just regurgitating what they think people want to hear or if they believe what they are saying and mean what they say. I was just very surprised at the number that come through a small town - not used to that at all!