A slew of Democratic and Republican national officeholders recently visited the Granite State, home of the influential first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) traveled to New Hampshire to speak at the Manchester Democrat's "Countdown to Victory" dinner, one of the many fundraisers leading up to the primary. He also visited Nashua, where he met with several Dartmouth students including Kaili Lambe '09, communications director of the Dartmouth College Democrats.
"I liked him a lot," Lambe said. "He made a connection rather than blow me off because I was a student."
The College Democrats also sent a small group of students to hear Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-Iowa) speak at St. Anselm's College in Manchester last Thursday.
Former Gov. Mark Warner (D-Va.) was scheduled to make an appearance at Carter Hill Orchard in Concord on Saturday in support of Paul Hodes '72 in his bid for Congress, but the event was canceled due to rain.
Hodes, who is looking forward to Warner's next visit, said that New Hampshire is a great place to run for office.
"When you're running for Congress in New Hampshire, you have the opportunity to develop relationships with presidential hopefuls," Hodes said. "That really sets the experience apart from that of candidates in other states."
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) was also in the Hanover area on Saturday night and met with the board of the College Democrats at the Hanover Inn to discuss issues affecting New Hamsphire, Lambe said.
Although the Democratic National Committee recently made changes in the primary schedule in order to reduce the influence of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, this has so far had little effect on the volume of candidates visiting New Hampshire.
The DNC plans to add a caucus in Nevada before New Hampshire's primary in an attempt to make democratic candidates more competitive on the national level. It will also introduce a primary in South Carolina one week after New Hampshire's primary.
"Last week's decision by the DNC's Rules and Bylaws committee ... is a positive development," the DNC black caucus committee wrote in a statement. "Broadening the primary window to include these two states is in line with the DNC's goals of adding racial, regional and economic diversity to the selection process of the Democratic presidential nominee."
The College Democrats believe that New Hampshire's primary will give students a unique opportunity to personally interact with officeholders.
"This is especially great for the [freshmen] who have the opportunity to meet every single one of these candidates if they get involved now," College Democrats President Mike Heslin '08 said.
The College Republicans also noted the benefits of Dartmouth's location in New Hampshire for political involvement.
"Dartmouth students have an incredible opportunity not only to witness good old fashioned grassroots politics but also to become active participants in candidates' campaigns," College Republicans President Rahul Sangwan '07 said. "Such exposure is unparalleled at the college level."
Important figures in the Republican Party including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Govs. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) and George Pataki (R-N.Y.) have already made appearances in Hanover or the surrounding area.
John Cox, a independent Republican running for president, will have lunch with the College Republicans this Wednesday, according to Sangwan. Pataki is also expected to meet with the College Republicans in the coming months.
