Portsmouth, N.H. - It would surprise no one if Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton loses New Hampshire's primary vote on Tuesday. The bigger problem she faces is a lack of enthusiasm among younger voters that could dog her campaign when it turns South.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has a commanding lead in the polls in his neighboring state, coming off his razor-thin loss to Clinton in Iowa. More troubling to Clinton's camp, exit polls in Iowa showed a roughly 70 percent gap between Sanders and Clinton among voters between the ages of 17 and 29.
Some 1,200 people showed up for a Sanders rally at Great Bay Community College Sunday in Portsmouth, cheering as he laid out his vision for an expanded government, free college tuition and a fresh assault on Wall Street greed.
"The question we have got to ask ourselves is do we have the courage to take on a billionaire class and say that our government belongs to all of us - and not just a small number of wealthy people," said Sanders. "This will not be an easy fight."
Clinton's tried to halt the bleeding with visits to student groups around the state. At an appearance Saturday at New England College in Henniker, she fielded several questions from students who asked how she could regain voters' trust and win the White House.
"I, for one, know that there are a lot of young people supporting my opponent," said Clinton. "And I want you to know even if you don't support me, I support you."
She also faced a withering line of questioning from a Democrat in the crowd named Alexandra Corbin who said she was a Clinton supporter in 2008 but refused to back her this time. She cited nagging concerns about Clinton's role in the Benghazi attacks and her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.
Clinton said her the Benghazi terror strike has already been investigated nine times, and said Republicans have politicized her use of private email addresses that other GOP officials have long used. Corbin, who lives in Brooklyn, said she was left unswayed.
"She needs to be held to the fire, and she's not," Corbin said in an interview. "She gives a lot of canned answers and faux anger."
The Sanders rally in Portsmouth was a reminder of his depth of his support here. The median age of the crowd seemed to be in the late 20s, but families and retirees dotted the crowd.
"I can't say I've made up my mind between Bernie and Hillary. I like him more as a person, but I think she would make a better president," said Heather Gretz, who brought her four children to the rally. "I wish I had more confidence in Sanders as far as world politics."
Barbara Seker, a 79-year-old retiree standing near the back of the room, needed no convincing.
"He's honest and fair. All you have to do is look in his eyes," said Seker. "He's everybody's grandpa."
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