The New Hampshire primary started earlier than ever this time around.
And nearly every candidate who's officially running has been spending time meeting voters and setting up campaign offices here.
All this so-called retail politics fuels the perception that everyone in New Hampshire gets the chance to personally question the candidates.
But New Hampshire Public Radio correspondent Shannon Mullen has found a town where residents have been waiting for almost a century to meet a candidate.
The library and veterans' monument at Marlow's town center. President Taft would have passed this spot had he arrived as scheduled in 1912. (Shannon Mullen, NHPR)
It was October of 1912…
The way the story goes, the red, white and blue buntings were up, and the residents of Marlow, New Hampshire turned out in their Sunday best.
T15 outside ambi, 0:21 ambi: car going by, birds chirping]
Incumbent President William Taft was running for re-election, and he was scheduled to stop here for some good, old-fashioned retail politicking.
But Marlow native Charlie Strickland says Taft never showed.
Strickland: T5 9:38 He was coming down from Newport, going to Keene, and he got up to Marlow Junction, the junction of 123 A and 10, and he took the wrong road there, got lost, and he went to South Ackworth, and then Walpole and down that way…
Mullen: A few years later, in 1920, New Hampshire’s primary won its first-in-the-nation spot.
But so far, the campaign trail has yet to bring any presidential candidates through Marlow.
T12 14:05 JF: I think it’s probably almost impossible for them to get to all the towns, however it would have been nice if… since 1920 SOMEBODY had shown up (group joins in) at least once!
[keep conversation ambi under next tracks]
Mullen: That’s Joe Fuer… a former State Representative, and a registered republican.
I met him, and a small group of other Marlow residents, at the town’s Historical Society to talk presidential politics.
Someone brought along a homemade blueberry coffee cake that was still warm when I got there.
[chit chat about coffee, etc.]
Residents of Marlow talk presidential politics at the town's Historical Society meeting hall. (Shannon Mullen, NHPR)
They all defended the role of New Hampshire’s vaunted retail politics as crucial in the electoral process, but said they have to work to be part of it.
Those in town who HAVE met a candidate, had to drive to campaign events in bigger cities like Keene, Nashua and Manchester.
Peter Eisenstater is a registered Democrat.
13:43 PE: It’s one of the things the NH primary sells is the small-town atmosphere. I think it would be better if they were actually TRUE to it and tried to come to some some small towns.
[butt cut]
Blank: T12 22:04 I think they have too many camp managers, too many aides, I think the aides would never allow them to do it. Mullen: Marlow resident Mary Blank volunteered for Bill Clinton's first New Hampshire campaign, helping out with events in bigger towns. T7 2:10 They definitely would not get a show here… [2:58] it would be quaint and sweet, but I’m not sure how much bang for their buck they would get, or how much in the numbers. Impression? Wonderful.
Marlow residents know the chances are slim of their town attracting any candidates.
Mary Blank, Marlow Historical Society President and coffee cake baker extraordinaire. (Shannon Mullen, NHPR)
But they keep themselves informed, and they have their questions ready for the ones they’d pick if they could invite anyone who’s running.
Again, Joe Fuer.
T12 16:33 I would like to see McCain come here. Because at this point I’m leaning toward him, and I would like to meet him one on one in my home town.
T12 0:45 I’m Genevieve Ells… and I am a registered Democrat. [17:30] GE: I really would love to see Barack Obama come here…
T12 18:00 PE: It’d be a tremendously symbolic moment that the first black man to be really a front-running candidate for President of the United States would come to Marlow, NH…
T12 9:45 JoeF: I would like to see one of the not-front-runners, I would like to see Fred Thompson show up… I liked him in The Search for Red October… (group laughter) [20:08] more power to him and let’s see what he’s like.
T12 3:21 JF: Hi there my name’s Jan Fuer, I’m a Registered Rebublican. [18:50] I’d like Rudy. I’d really like to see Rudy here… [19:05] I would like to see how he manages in a small thing after New York.
GE: I can see him swaggering into town…
JF: I don’t care if he swaggers if he knows how to run a country.
[19:17] Joe: when Rudy spoke to the Republican state convention, he was preaching to the choir. What happens in a town where it’s a mixed bag of voters?
Mullen: …and voters who’ve been waiting since 1920? (group joins)
PE: we’ve been storing up this stuff for a long time here...
[20:55] PE: it’s like waiting for Godot, who never shows up…
JF: Taft was a sort of disappointment… (laughter)
This group would welcome a visit by any and all of the 2008 presidential candidates.
They advise against coming during black fly season though, which can last into July.
And they warn that campaign staffers might not get cell phone service here.
But if a candidate calls to say he, or she, is coming, Mary Blank might bake her coffee cake.
And the Odd Fellows might be willing to loan out their meeting hall for an event.
All Marlowians ask in return… is for the candidate, to show up this time.
For NHPR News, I’m SM.
