The GOP hopefuls bring an economic boost, national attention to the first-in-the-nation primary.
GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman speaks to a group at a Newport, N.H., town hall meeting Thursday night.Editors' note: This story was written by contributing writer Julie McMahon.
NEWPORT, N.H. — The town of Newport isn’t much bigger than the village of Manlius — unless a presidential candidate is visiting.
When a politician like Mitt Romney rolls into town, for example, Newport — population about 5,000 —swells with reporters, staffers, and campaign followers.
For Scott Bentley, manager of Village Pizza on Main Street, a visit by Romney on Dec. 21 was a bonanza with people even standing in the kitchen. “It was the most people we’ve ever had in here,” Bentley said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Romney, the Republican frontrunner, brings three buses and a host of media with him when he shows up in town. Henry Rodeschin, a Republican, co-owns Rody’s Gun Shop down the road. He was at the Romney gathering at Village Pizza. “You had to walk sideways,” he said.
Newport Chief of Police James Burroughs said the town draws many candidates. “Newport has always been a visiting spot,” he said, “but it only gets busy when the candidates come in to town. They hold up traffic, but it’s quick in, quick out.”
A crowd listens to GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman in Newport, N.H. Thursday night.On Thursday evening, Jon Huntsman held a town hall meeting at the local recreation center. That makes P.J. Lovely, the owner of the rec center, happy. He was pleased, he said, to think that Huntsman’s campaign chose the location for its small, hometown feel.
“How I feel about Huntsman doesn’t really matter,” said Lovely. “It’s good to have someone here.”
John Clarke attended the event. Clarke, a resident of neighboring Claremont who served as Sullivan county’s commissioner from 2000 to 2006, said that having candidates visit is “absolutely” a boost for the local economy, especially since the region isn’t very wealthy.
John Weaver, Huntsman campaign strategist, said that meetings in small towns of New Hampshire are important because “New Hampshire is the one true place in America where voters get to decide.”
New Hampshire residents tend to be very informed, well-educated, and ask intelligent questions, Weaver said.
The Huntsman campaign assembled a full auditorium of supporters on Thursday. Huntsman, who has focused most of his campaign in New Hampshire, joked that he has begun to develop a New Hampshire accent.Yet, a poll conducted by Suffolk University Thursday shows Romney with 41 percent of the vote and Huntsman trailing far beyond with 7 percent.
Media personnel and campaign staffers have a history of taking over in New Hampshire. Pat Tremblay, owner of Country Kitchen Restaurant, described his diner when George Bush visited Newport in 2000.
“It was a 3-ring circus,” Tremblay said. “Reporters were standing on the counters. It was over the top.”
While the influx of people can be overwhelming, Tremblay sees the positive. “They won’t go away hungry,” he said. He recommends the pancakes.
“I don’t like to mix politics and business, but it’s that time of the year,” said Tremblay. “And I like the idea that people can have the opportunity to meet a candidate.”
Julie McMahon is a master’s student studying magazine, newspaper and online journalism at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is covering the New Hampshire primary as part of the school’s Democracywise project, developed by Charlotte Grimes, the Knight Chair in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School. Click here to find out more about the program.
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» Rick Santorum downplays Washington history as N.H. primary nears [The Washington Post]
» Sleeveless and V-Necked, Santorum’s Sweaters Are Turning Heads [The New York Times]
» Romney skips New Hampshire and goes straight to South Carolina [The Washington Post]
» The Tumult Beneath Romney's New Hampshire Fortunes [The Wall Street Journal]
» GOP rivals ask: Who is Romney? [St. Louis Today]
» Jon Hunstman denounces ad showcasing his adopted daughters [The Guardian of London]
» NAACP leader blasts Gingrich's food stamp comment [CBS News]
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» Could a mystery candidate for GOP race still emerge? [CNN]
» How Much Do Good December Job Numbers Help Obama's campaign? [The Atlantic]