Track 8
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In one week, House Minority leader Peter Burling opened his home to both Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean.
Track 9
:20 governor, it?s such a pleasure to have you here, we obviously have a wonderful turnout, a lot of interested folks, I was worried, this early in the season, but you have a wonderful section of people here, from Hanover to Claremont, and east to Grantham
Burling?s farm house in Cornish is one of the prime destinations for any Democratic wanna-be presidential candidate.
Burling says, house parties like his offer candidates a chance to try out a speech, listen to voters and gather names of possible volunteers.
But house parties are only one way presidential candidates are trying to connect with New Hampshire Democrats.
State senate Democratic leader Sylvia Larson says the candidates also like to use the phone.
4:50 governor Dean has called me. Senator Chris Dodd of CT has called me. Congressman Gephardt has called me. I have received calls from Senator Kerry, I have met with Senator Edwards?pretty much the entire field?5:54 oh, and I left off Senator Lieberman, not the recent few weeks, but we?ve talked a number of times.
Larson has already signed on with Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts.
But since the new year, she says she?s noticed an increase in calls and requests for support.
The rash of calls to Democratic mover and shakers like Larson and Burling is a clear sign the first phase of the primary has begun.
Writer Dayton Duncan is a long-time Democratic activist.
:09 ? The first is the courtship phase in which a candidate tries to make themselves known to the hard core activists and persuade as many of them as possible to join their campaign and form the backbone of their organization. And that last from now until the early fall.
Duncan, wrote Grassroots, a book chronicling the ?88 New Hampshire Democratic primary.
He says the second phase involves connecting with voters.
That means finding some of those committed party activists to do the grunt work.
6:01 what you would like is that you go to a coffee in somebody?s living room, talk to 20 people, and of those 20, 2-3 are so overwhelmed by your qualities, they say they want to help you. And a month later, you come back to the state, and those two people have know talked to ten other people, and put together with you.
But presidential candidates are pursuing more than just worker bees.
They also want well connected people who know which house party to attend.
Democrats like Jim Demers.
He?s a former Congressional candidate.
He?s currently a prominent lobbyist.
And he?s a good friend and supporter of Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt.
Gephardt describes Demers as invaluable.
3:20 He has had an active role in NH politics for a long time. He knows everybody and has relationships with a lot of the important activists in the state. And he can be my eyes and ears, someone to relay information back to me, and tell me the important things to get done as we put the campaign together.
House Democratic leader Peter Burling says candidates also want to bag the big names.
:43 they want the power of my endorsement, they want to be able to say, I?ve picked up the following people. All of whom are prominent Democrats. I?ve got more than you, so I win. Nhan nhan nhan nhan nhan.
The longer the list of prominent New Hampshire Democrats, the easier it is to raise money.
Most candidates and political operatives agree the current plumb of all Democratic endorsements would be from former Governor Jeanne Shaheen.
The argument goes she?s got the name, the connections, the experience and the party machine.
Joe Keefe is former Chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
8:14 ? if I was running for president, the person I would want is Shaheen. She is still the most respected, capable Dem. Not only 3 term governor, and really the only state-wide organization on Dem side. But also is an experienced player in pres politics. She ran she ran Carter?s campaign in ?76. She ran Gary Hart?s campaign.
But at least right now, Jeanne Shaheen isn?t endorsing anybody.
In that sense, she?s like most big name Democrats?still looking.
Billy Shaheen, the former governor?s husband, says many remain uncommitted, savoring the attention from possible presidents.
But he says he?s heard that political machines are being assembled right now.
5:17 ? McCarley has her group of people, and Senator Kerry, Larson and Cohen are on board?Jim Demers and Anita Friedman are already on board for Dick Gephardt, and over in the CT Valley I am hearing Governor Dean is putting together a team of people.
Does any one candidate have an advantage right now?
People familiar with the ebb and flow of past New Hampshire primaries feel it?s too early to speculate.
But of course, that doesn?t keep everyone from speculating.
The ?politicsnh? website is keeping a presidential primary tally board.
The site is tracking 105 New Hampshire politicos and which candidate they side with.
Right now, Senator Kerry is leading with 6, and Gephardt is in hot pursuit with 5.
Gephardt supporter Jim Demers says those are the two front-runners in his mind.
1:38 I think at this point, probably Kerry and Gephardt have the strongest recognition, and the strongest support. And I think that Liberman, Edwards and Dean are working hard to get acquainted with people here.
Author/activist Dayton Duncan says he?s played a role in New Hampshire Democratic primaries since 1972.
And he says, only one thing is for certain.
11:18 ? The only thing you know for sure is that something unexpected will happen in it. And conventional wisdom, one year out, turns out to be no wisdom whatsoever.
For instance, consider the case of one southern Democratic governor.
He didn?t even enter the race until four months before the primary.
Who was that?
Bill Clinton. For NHPR News, I?m DG.
