It would come as little shock if Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, facing a primary opponent with a double-digit lead, lost Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. The bigger question she faces is whether she can invigorate a bloc of younger voters she’ll need to win her party’s nomination.
Polls show Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders with a commanding advantage in his neighboring state, and a victory on Tuesday would be a momentous win for his insurgent campaign. Long an underdog, the surge of youthful Sanders supporters has already reshaped the Democratic presidential contest.
Both are now trying to seize the mantle of hope in a race that, in the final days ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, has revolved around the campuses of universities and community colleges across the snow-bitten state.
Sanders has enthralled some Democrats here with an unabashedly liberal platform that promises free college tuition and a surge of new infrastructure spending, while featuring a vigorous 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,” Sanders said to a crowd of 1,700 at a Portsmouth college. “This will not be an easy fight.”
At her rallies across the state, Clinton pits her policies as more pragmatic and attainable. One example: rather than granting free tuition for all — billionaire Donald Trump’s children don’t deserve the break, she tells audiences — she touts a rival plan that pays tuition at most two-year colleges.
“For those of you who are still shopping, I hope I can close the deal,” she told an overflow crowd at a community college on the outskirts of Manchester. “You may not support me now, but I will always support you.”
They’re fighting for the likes of Heather Gretz, a Democrat who remains on the fence between the two.
“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,” Gretz said at the Portsmouth rally. “I wish I had more confidence in Sanders as far as world politics.”
Tuesday’s vote could also help measure the level of enthusiasm of some skeptical Clinton supporters.
“For political reasons, I have to vote for Hillary — but half-heartedly,” said Bill Thompson, who lives in Bedford. “If it were Ted Cruz or Bernie Sanders, I would have to vote for Putin.”
It’s safe to say the Russian leader won’t be in the running. But that’s about all that’s predictable in this topsy-turvy race.
‘Grandpa’ vs. pragmatist
Clinton’s camp points to a wave of support in upcoming votes across the South, where the largely black Democratic electorates have long been a bulwark for Clinton campaigns. Still, Sanders’ attacks on Clinton as an incrementalist who is too timid to advocate for more sweeping changes resonate with some Democrats.
“He’s honest and fair. All you have to do is look in his eyes,” said Barbara Seker, a retiree backing Sanders. “He’s everybody’s grandpa.”
The Clinton campaign has been forced to step up its attacks to shore up support.
At last week’s debate in Durham, Clinton painted Sanders as an idealist who risks undoing President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and other Democratic gains. And her husband, former President Bill Clinton, has unleashed scathing attacks on the Vermont senator’s promises.
"It bothers me to be in an election where a debate is impossible because if you disagree you are just part of the establishment," he said Monday in an attempt to undercut the anti-establishment critique that has fueled Sanders' gains in Iowa and New Hampshire.
A similar debate is playing out on campuses and in town hall meetings across the state.
“I have a lot of friends who support him,” Olivia Marr, among the students at Clinton’s rally, said of Sanders. “He has a lot of radical ideas and he’s very, very progressive. But her experience is what gets me. And her intelligence. She has a plan, she has an agenda, and she’s willing to attack it head-on.”
The vote in New Hampshire also holds important symbolism to the Clintons. It was here in 1992 where Bill Clinton declared himself the "comeback kid" after a surprising second-place finish in the Democratic primary. Hillary Clinton's 2008 victory in New Hampshire against Obama revived her campaign after a loss in Iowa.
On Monday, she urged New Hampshire voters to help her mount another comeback.
“New Hampshire means a lot to us, going all the way back to 1992. It gave us a chance to head out of here with momentum on the way to the nomination,” she said. “And we’ve never forgotten that.”
About the Author
