Beyond New Hampshire – A student’s experience covering the primary
By: Nolan Cleary
Interim Creative Editor
Candidates continue their campaign plans in the aftermath of the New Hampshire primary.
The primary proved to be a success for some of the more unconventional candidates. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobachar were New Hampshire’s frontrunners.
However, former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, both of whom were at one point considered front runners, suffered a blow at the ballot box.
For underdog candidates like businessman Andrew Yang, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, underwhelming numbers meant the suspension of their campaigns for the White House.
Throughout the weekend before, The Hudsonian took a trip to New Hampshire to meet with the Democratic Presidential candidates.
On Friday, Feb. 7, candidates took a break from the campaign trail to speak during a debate. All candidates except Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick were in attendance.
Yang also scheduled a watch party at Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Nashua. At the event, his supporters said why they saw Yang as the right candidate to take on Donald Trump.
According to a supporter who simply goes by the name Nathan, Yang’s focus on families is a big factor in his support.
“Looking further into Andrew Yang, what really made him me gravitate to him was that I really like his view of the family and strengthening the family and investing [in] children and families,” he said.
The regional organizer for Andrew Yang’s New England campaign and founder of the “Massachusetts Yang Gang” spoke about her support for Yang.
According to Chrostine Donohue, though she would be willing to support any Democrat regardless of who wins the nomination, there are some candidates other than Yang that she is noticing.
“I’ve been really impressed with Steyer and Klobachar, surprisingly,” she said.
Saturday, Feb. 8 saw events featuring Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
Sanders’ event was kicked off with a speech by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, a person who has previously expressed support for Sanders.
“[Sanders] has made it very clear,” Moore said in his speech. “We’re not voting for him, we’re voting for us.”
Others, like Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan and former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, spoke for Sanders as well.
During the event, Sanders advocated for Medicare for All, abortion rights and ending ongoing wars in the Middle East.
Sanders also mentioned the economy, which Trump himself has praised in the past.
“Thanks to this so-called booming economy, the average worker [has] a .17 cent increase in his or her wages, less than 1% in real inflation accounted for wages,” Sanders said.
Meanwhile, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard stressed criminal justice reform, ending ongoing wars in the Middle East and unifying the country.
The Hudsonian caught up with Gabbard after the event to ask about her post-New Hampshire political ambitions.
Gabbard said she has plans to stay in the race until at least South Carolina.
“We’re flying to South Carolina early Wednesday morning, we’re continuing our campaign from there,” Gabbard said.
Sunday, Feb. 9 saw the campaign of Pete Buttigieg in full swing. The former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana’s rally was kicked off with a speech from New Hampshire Congresswoman Annie Kuster, who endorsed Buttigieg prior to the New Hampshire primary.
In his speech, Buttigieg stressed the need to expand the Democratic electorate by winning over those disgruntled by the policy and tone of the Trump presidency, what he called “future former Republicans.”
“The things that I’m proposing are not just ideas that we think would be good, they’re ideas that command the support of the majority of the American people,” Buttigieg said to his supporters.
According to Buttigieg in a later interview, even American people in conservative states want job security, health care, climate change and a solution to gun violence.