Mitch Perry
This past weekend, Nashua, N.H., was the center of the political universe. About 20 announced presidential candidates, probable candidates, and long-shot possibilities were offered 30 minutes each by the New Hampshire Republican Party to present themselves and answer questions from 600 Republicans at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit.
In addition to reporting all of the speeches from most of the candidates, Florida Politics spoke to several audience members about who they were looking for in a nominee. Here are excerpts from three of those interviews.
Elizabeth Drummond from Hillsborough, N.H., said she wasn’t supporting anyone at the moment.
“Nope. I’m looking forward to hearing from everybody,” she said. “There can be surprises with anyone you listen to. It’s right out of gate, but I’m just interested in everyone.”
When asked about Marco Rubio, she discounted the criticism from some (mostly Jeb Bush supporters) that he should spend a few more years in the Senate collecting experience before running for national office.
“I don’t think the timing matters, and I don’t think it matters to the people attending this event. I think New Hampshire is so accustomed to politicians coming in and out all the time, that there’s no such thing as ‘too early.’ They want the opportunity to meet people and look them in the eyes and shake their hands and see what they see, aside from a stump speech, so it’s a real special place for that sort of thing. “
What are her biggest concerns as a voter?
“I think national security is a big issue, and I’d like to see somebody in the White House who is willing to have the guts to do what we need to do to defend the country and the citizens.” When asked what that would require, she said, “We’ve got to increase the military and be more aggressive in our efforts overseas.”
Mike Fleming, 57, from Laconia, N.H., is registered independent.
“We’re here to listen to everybody. I’m an independent, so I want to listen to everybody, but right now, the direction the country is going in right now, we can’t sustain another four to eight years (of Democratic Party rule), so I’m definitely looking towards the Republican side this time to elect a leader to pull us out of the problems that we have.”
He voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. “I think the country would have been in better shape in three months if he had been elected.”
What about Jeb Bush?
“I like him. His name obviously is an issue. Some people won’t vote for him because he’s a Bush, which is again, ridiculous. I happen to like him, I think he’s got a lot going for him, I also like Senator Rubio. I like him quite a bit. We’re looking for someone to restore American integrity, restore America’s greatness and I think there’s nobody on the Republican side right now who will not do that.”
He’s also a fan of Carly Fiorina, the only possible female candidate in the GOP contest.
“Here’s a person with great business sense and has ran something and understands what it takes to make a payroll and make business decisions, so we’re very interested in hearing from her as well.”
Tamara Fairback, 52, from Canaan, N.H., is an independent.
“I’m a registered nurse, and I believe we absolutely need to get rid of ObamaCare. But we need to replace it with a sensible plan, not necessarily an entire program like ObamaCare but a sensible plan so that Americans can get health care, so they do have the opportunity to get high quality health. But ObamaCare is not the answer.”
She leans GOP, but says she also has a bit of libertarian in her DNA, perhaps not surprising coming from someone who hails from the Live Free or Die state.
“I’m looking forward to hearing from Rubio. I’ve already seen Scott Walker and talked to him and Ted Cruz, and I really like Scott Walker. I like his Midwestern sensibilities: He’s coming from an area where he’s really had a lot of difficulties and he’s overcome them. He’s really revolutionized what’s going on in Wisconsin. I just recently moved here, I’m a New Hampshire native but I recently moved here from South Bend, Ind., in August and that’s a very conservative state. Now, when I was a kid New Hampshire was very conservative.” (It’s now voted for a Democrat for three straight elections).
Being from Indiana, we asked her what she thought of Gov. Mike Pence, who has been mentioned as a potential GOP candidate for president (though much less so after the “religious freedom” controversy).
“I like him a lot. I’m looking for a message.”
What about Marco Rubio?
“I’m looking for a message. I don’t care what kind of package it comes in. I need a message.”
What’s the message you’re looking for?
“Lower taxes. Definitely fiscally conservative candidate. I could care less about social issues. It doesn’t affect that many people, the social issues that are so hot right now. I really want to secure the border. I want the federal government to deal with issues that they’re supposed to deal with, and give the states more autonomy.”
