NH Airwaves Fill With D and R Presidential Ads

By David Darman on Tuesday, March 16, 2004.

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Its been nearly two months since New Hampshire's first in the nation presidential primary.

In years past, that date marked the end of presidential campaign ads in the Granite state.

But this year is different.

Campaign ads are showing now on local television.

Itï¿½s a sign that New Hampshire will be important territory in this fallï¿½s general election.

New Hampshire Public Radioï¿½s David Darman has more.

Some of the ads showing in New Hampshire come from President George Bush.

This ad is titled, ï¿½Forwardï¿½
Over the past 3 years, America has faced many serious challenges.
Now we face a choice. We can go forward with confidence, resolve and hope. Or, we can turn back to the dangerous illusion, that terrorists are not plotting, and outlaw regimes are no threat.

New Hampshire is among about 18 states where this ad is airing. .

New Hampshire has rarely enjoyed its status as an important state in the general election.

It offers candidates only 4 electoral votes.

But Kevin Madden, a spokesman for the Bush/Cheney campaign says the campaign is taking nothing for granted in 2004.
29 14 I think that NH is a very important state in the electoral map. It doesnï¿½t have as many electoral votes as some other states, but I think the 2000 election taught us that every single electoral vote counts. 29 27

Bush won New Hampshire by only 7,000 of more than half a million votes cast four years ago.

If he hadnï¿½t won the state, Al Gore would have become president.

The small margin of victory has been noted by both Republicans, and Democrats.

A new group called the Media Fund has raised 3 million dollars to air ads in 17 pivotal states, including New Hampshire.

The group was started by Harold Ickes, President Clintonï¿½s former deputy chief of staff.

While not formally part of the Kerry campaign, thereï¿½s no mistaking the groupï¿½s message.
President Bush, remember the American dream? Itï¿½s about hope, not fear. Itï¿½s about more jobs at home, not shipping tax breaks overseas.

The Media Fund aims to raise 100 million dollars by November to press for Democrat John Kerry and other candidates.

The Bush/Cheney campaign has already collected 145 million dollars, 5 times the amount Kerry has raised.

NH will see plenty of money from both sides, in more than just ads.

A group called America Coming Together, or ACT, is also working to defeat President Bush.

Rich Pelletier is a spokesman for ACT.

He says his group has rented Kerryï¿½s old headquarters in Manchester.

There, the group employs 21 staffers who hope to put together a grass roots political organization.
10 221 weï¿½ve hired folks who are going to be working phones, calling people, trying to identify people who have not yet decided how theyï¿½re going to vote in the upcoming election educating people as to how republican policies affect their everyday lives, and hoping that convinces them to get out and vote for a different candidate. 10 245

The Bush campaign is making a similar effort to turn out voters.

Campaign officials say the effort will follow the one employed nationwide in 2000.

But they promise this one will be even bigger.

Kevin Madden of the Bush campaign says the organizing and advertising should benefit the whole Republican ticket.
31 18 : the president wants to make sure he doesnï¿½t have a lonely victory in Nov 2004. he wants to make sure that not only governors and senators and congressman across the country are there standing up you know doing victory lap, so to speak, but also city councilman, county executives, aldermen, county legislators those folks are also seeing victory in November 2004. 31 45

The candidates lower down on the ballot potentially have a lot at stake in the presidential contest.

Recent polling by the UNH Survey Center shows comfortable leads for Governor Craig Benson, Senator Judd Gregg, and Congressman Charlie Bass.

But the survey also found Congressman Jeb Bradley has just a 24 percent approval rating.

The Bush ads and organizing effort could help Bradley, especially if the Democrats field a strong candidate against him.

Jim Demers of Hampton is a veteran democratic activist who is also a lobbyist in Concord.

He says the advertising and the organizations of both sides in the presidential race could be important for turning out voters.
36 305 the battle is to motivate independents to come and vote a certain way. Not just in nh, but in other states. And I think the advertising and whoï¿½s on the top of the ticket and the kind of campaign and issues they talk about can definitely have an effect on the races below them,

New Hampshire runs little risk of being overlooked in the coming months.

If anything, residents may begin to wish for a little less attention as November draws near.