MANCHESTER, N.H. — Is New Hampshire ready for Hillary? During Clinton’s first campaign swing through New Hampshire this election cycle, the Democratic frontrunner is facing unenthusiastic crowds and a grumbling press.
In Rochester, an event that was supposed to highlight Clinton’s initiative to push universal pre-kindergarten was overshadowed by complaints about limited media access. Then Clinton ran nearly an hour late to her first rally in Concord. Her staffers made sure to keep the crowds pleased, handing out homemade apple-cider donuts and playing upbeat pop music.
The crowds weren’t entirely pro-Hillary, however. New Hampshire borders Vermont, the homes state of Clinton challenger Bernie Sanders, and many attendees preferred Sanders’ socialist policies to Clinton’s New Democrat image.
“I love Bernie Sanders, but he’s not going to be the nominee, Hillary is,” longtime New Hampshire resident Mary Lee Sargent told the Washington Examiner. “So just as a practical person, I can support Bernie because we had to have a primary process and I support any candidate that’s to the left of Hillary. But realistically I know she’ll be the candidate, and I’ll work for her because she’s a good centrist Democrat.”
She went on to explain that New Hampshire residents are most concerned about the economy as well as Social Security and Medicare, due to the state’s aging population. Right now, some residents trust Sanders more on these issues.
“I think a lot of us don’t want a coordination, I don’t want Hillary to come up as if it’s a gift and its something I’m born to do and you are blessed to have me do it,” Sargent said. “I really hope that Bernie pushes her left of center or else I’ll be a serious Bernie supporter. I thinks she’s acting like she’s acting like it’s a post-primary election, she’s not the candidate yet.”
Some New Hampshire residents expressed concern that Clinton has yet to establish a strong platform. Thus far, she has made bold statements on voting rights and early childhood education, but not much else, voters complained.
“I think people are waiting for her to state he priorities,” Margraet Walsh, a Clinton rally attendee and New Hampshire resident, said. “She understands the issues that are important to people who live in New Hampshire. But I think Bernie is going to bring to the forefront concerns about inequality and injustice, and I really like that.”
