Alums about New Hampshire

John Stockton ’68 and Henry Von Kohorn ’66 snuck into the Sen. Barack Obama Concord High School rally with press passes around their necks. Neither works for a media outlet, but they had learned that planning on getting in could be risky, especially with the Obama and Clinton events often spilling over into overflow rooms.

The pair couldn’t vote during the primary, neither lives in New Hampshire, yet they came because, according to Von Kohorn, “We’re political junkies.” They intended to see as many candidates as possible, and by Jan. 4 they had seen former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

There are many Princeton alumni in New Hampshire for the primary working for the campaigns, covering the politics or just watching the melee in addition to the 607 alumni who live here.

Melissa Haris-Lacewell, professor of politics and African-American studies, said “Everywhere I look … our school is part of it, right in the mix of everything that’s going on nationally.

Like the current Princeton students who traveled up to volunteer during the last six days before primary, many alumni, old and young, work within the campaigns. Chris Lu ’88 is Obama’s legislative director and on the Republican side Alex Maugery ’07 works for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Craig Robinson ’83 is supporting Obama, but perhaps for a different reason from the other voters. Obama is his brother-in-law. Robinson’s fellow Princeton basketball alum, Bill Bradley ’65, endorsed Obama on Monday morning and campaigned for him at three sites the day before the primary.

Bradley, himself a former presidential candidate, said, before a crowd of about 100 outside the “Obama for America” Concord field office, “I believe that Barack Obama is what the country needs.”

He described Obama as embracing a politics not restrained by issues of “red or blue” but rather recognizes “the good in people” and can engage them. Bradley described red versus blue as a lie and felt that Obama’s disregard for that idea would allow him to reform democracy.

He added, “Princeton supports Obama.”

Princeton’s other most recent presidential candidate, Ralph Nader ’55, supported Edwards during the Iowa caucus, directing voters to “giv[e] him a victory.”

Perhaps the most visible Princetonian during the New Hampshire debate was not a candidate but the moderator Charles Gibson ’65, host of ABC World News with Charles Gibson. The Republican and Democratic debates ran 90 minutes back to back, with Gibson offering a question and then quietly allowing the candidates to interact with each other.

Dugald McConnell ’93, a producer for CNN, is also covering the New Hampshire primary. McConnell, who’s covered campaigns in the past, noted one major change in the way the media is covering the contest. McConnell noted there is “Less of journalist intervention, filter, and analysis and more of simply putting direct material on the internet for anyone to see and read and make whatever of it they will.”

He added “I’ve seen a number of Princeton alums out on the trails.”

Clinton, McCain Pull Off Stunning Upsets

Barack Obama with wife Michelle '85

Nashua, N.H., 1:14 a.m.- Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama with a stunning upset in Tuesday night’s New Hampshire primary, breathing new life into her White House bid following her third-place finish in the Iowa Caucus Jan. 3. John McCain took first place in the Republican primary, marking an incredible comeback for a campaign left for dead just weeks ago.

Clinton’s victory in the first-in-the-nation primary marked an impressive comeback following her disappointing third-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 3. The race for the democratic nomination is now a tight one between the former first lady and the freshman Illinois senator.

McCain’s victory on the Republican side left the future of the GOP race uncertain as well.

The night delivered Mitt Romney his second loss of the early primary season. It marked the first time a current or former Massachusetts governor or senator did not win the primary in the neighboring Granite State. The evening set up a rematch between McCain and Romney in the Michigan primary just one week away.

On a day with unusually warm temperatures, New Hampshire voters went to their polling places in record numbers. New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner predicted last week that voters could cast more than 500,000 ballots, shattering the previous record of 396,000 ballots cast in 2000.

With nearly 96 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton beat out Obama 39%-36%, with John Edwards finishing a distant third at 17%. On the Republican side, McCain took 37% to Romney’s 32%. Mike Huckabee, victor in the Iowa Caucuses last Thursday, finished third with 11%.

Princetonians join Clinton for campaign finish

(Back, from left: Regina Lee ’08, Julia Kaplan ’11, Peri Rosenstein ’08. Front: Molly O’Connor '11, Jack Ackerman ’11)

Manchester, N.H., 9:30 p.m. - They’re due at work by 4:45 a.m., but tonight five Princeton undergrads made their way to Hillary Clinton’s final rally before polls open in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary tomorrow morning.

The students have logged long hours over the last four days as they canvassed the state’s snow-covered neighborhoods, phoned into countless homes to shore up support and stood on streets corners with yard signs to provide “viz” for the New York senator’s campaign.

Tonight they joined hundreds of other Clinton supporters in a large warehouse near the Manchester airport as Clinton, joined by her husband and daughter, thanked voters for their support and stressed the importance of getting out the vote.



At one point in her speech, Clinton began saying that “I know what it’ll take … [to be president]” but was interrupted by a male supporter who shouted “A woman!” to loud cheers.

Just like the Clinton rally at Nashua North on Sunday morning, a steady stream of people left the rally starting less than 15 minutes after it began. By the end supporters had steadily made their way forward to fill in the gaps. Nonetheless, most of those in attendance showed their support in what is likely to be an uphill battle tomorrow against frontrunner Barack Obama.

Other pictures from this evening’s rally:

McCain and Obama win (the first vote)

Dixville Notch, a town of 24 with 17 registered voters, opened the polls at 12:01 a.m. today Jan. 8, the first vote in the New Hampshire primary. They declared McCain and Obama the winners seven minutes later. Dixville Notch has voted just after midnight since 1960. They file in and vote by placing their ballots in a ballot box.

Results:

McCain - 4, Romney - 2, Giuliani - 1

Obama - 7, Edwards - 2, Richardson - 1

Sprint To The Finish: The Polls

NASHUA, N.H., 6:52 p.m. - The Democratic race in New Hampshire was turned upside down this after Barack Obama's victory in Iowa, according to the latest polls among Granite State Democrats. The Illinois senator leads by anywhere from one to 13 points in each of the 15 polls published since the results from the Caucuses came in.



New polls out today by CNN and Rasmussen show Obama with a 10-point lead over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, while polls by CBS News and Marist show the lead at seven points and eight points, respectively. A Suffolk/WHDH poll shows Obama with a one-point lead over his New York counterpart. Former Sen. John Edwards is a distant third in each race.



On the Republican side, polls by the same organizations show Arizona Sen. John McCain with a steady lead over rival Mitt Romney. Romney had been losing ground to McCain since Christmas, and a tough loss to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee last Thursday made matters worse. CNN shows the Arizona senator with a six-point lead over the former Massachusetts governor, while Marist shows him with a four-point edge. Suffolk/WHDH numbers show a three-point spread between the two with McCain leading, while Rasmussen has McCain's lead at just one point, well within the margin of error.

Sprint To The Finish: The Events

NASHUA, N.H., 6:51 p.m. - The polls in New Hampshire open in just under 12 hours, and frontrunners from both parties are sprinting to the finish. As the sun sets on a relatively warm winter night, Democratic and Republican candidates continue to crisscross the state, rallying their troops and wooing undecided voters.

On the GOP side, Mitt Romney will make stops in Bedford and Manchester, while McCain ends his final full day of campaigning with a stop in Portsmouth. Later tonight, Mike Huckabee will make an appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Last week, Huckabee traded jokes and displayed his guitar skills on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" the night before the Iowa Caucuses.

Among the Democrats, John Edwards will hit Dover, Somersworth, Manchester and Durham tonight. Hillary Clinton will hold a final rally at the Manchester airport and Obama will wrap up his campaign with an event in Concord.

Bradley ’65: Country needs Obama

He is legend inside Dillon Gym. His number hangs from the rafters at Madison Square Garden. And today, Bill Bradley ’65 threw his support behind Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign one day before voters go to the polls in New Hampshire.



The announcement took place outside Obama’s Concord campaign office, the same facility Bradley used for his campaign headquarters during his presidential run in 2000. Originally scheduled indoors, the 15-minute event took place outside because the crowd of more than 100, most of them under the age of 30, couldn’t fit inside.

“I believe that Barack Obama is what the country needs,” Bradley declared. “I feel very much like this is history. We can be part of history.”

Bradley said Obama practices the “politics of greater possibilities” and credited him with being able to see the “broader picture.”



“When you look at Barack, we can see how far we’ve come as a country,” he said. “And that allows us to see how much further we can go.”

Bradley added that politicians today have to reach out to the broadest possible number of Americans and let them know they can be a part of the answer to the problems facing the country.

Bradley jokingly pointed out that, with his announcement, half of the four highest-scoring basketball players in Princeton history support the Obama candidacy. The other is Craig Robinson ’83. His sister is Barack's wife, Michelle Robinson Obama ’85.

"Princeton is for Obama," Bradley said with a smile, referencing the Illinois senator's many ties to the University.

The Obama supporters spent much of the afternoon holding signs along the town’s main drag, and they were joined by volunteers from nearly every other Democratic and Republican campaign. The competitive shouting between campaigners and constant horn-honking from drivers showing their support made for a rather chaotic situation.

Working for the Votes: McCain

Just two of the 20 PACE Center volunteers in New Hampshire are campaigning for Republicans. Bryan Gergen '08 and Chris Nenno '08 are campaigning for Arizona Sen. John McCain. We met them in McCain’s Nashua field office after they returned from a short McCain rally this morning. Short being the operative word, as McCain only spoke for two minutes, 40 seconds before moving on to his next event on this the last full day of campaigning.

The office was on the second floor of a building with more people than it could support. Volunteers were standing in the hallways and outside other companies’ doors to make phone calls encouraging voters to choose John McCain. That was what Bryan and Chris were doing this morning, contacting people who had expressed that they were divided between supporting McCain or another candidate. Sometimes they received answering machines, and other times they reached supporters of other campaigns, ranging from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Yet they also had success , finding supporters to whom they offered rides to the polls. Each answering machine message ended with the phrase “This call was paid for by John McCain 2008.” Sometimes the people in the room sounded like they were speaking in a round.

The Daily Princetonian Moves Primetime

After the back of Matt Westmoreland's head ended up on the cover of The New York Times yesterday, you might have thought the 'Prince' had reached the pinnacle of national press coverage, but no. Today C-SPAN fed footage of Matt and me talking with Michelle Obama '85 about Old Nassau and the nation's favorite source for Princeton news, The Daily Princetonian.

More Potential First Spouses

In the film "Primary Colors," which tells the story of the 1992 presidential campaign, the character representing Bill Clinton stays late into the night talking to a worker at a small donut shop. This evening I saw what that characterization was based on. At a small event with perhaps 75 people, former President Clinton gave a speech encouraging people to vote for his wife and finished it by taking questions from anyone in the audience who wanted to ask one. I asked him about youth turnout in Iowa and how the Clinton campaign was planning to encourage turnout. He said, “She’s been doing a lot of events here, around the country … the Obama campaign simply did a better outreach.”

While Hillary never mentioned Iowa, Bill noted failures in Iowa and encouraged New Hampshire to have its own campaign and not simply follow Iowa’s results. He also spoke a great deal about his own presidency, comparing his record on jobs with that of President Bush’s and promising Hillary would offer a return to more prosperous times.

His audience was young, perhaps because it was located in a bar and in a university town. They were an excited crowd, though some started filtering out before the end. President Clinton stayed on even after the end of his remarks, having individual discussions among the mass of people who approached him.

Michelle Obama '85's (not) House Party

The Michelle Obama ’85 House Party we attended today was actually held in the Plymouth “Obama for America” field office. Its slightly misleading name arose because as people RSVPed for the event, it became obvious that there would not be enough room to house all the attendees, so instead the office was cleaned out and chairs were set before a podium. We arrived only 10 minutes before the projected 4:30 p.m. start time because Hillary Clinton’s rally ran an hour late and was halfway across the state.

The audience’s composition was in stark contrast to the Obama rally we attended on Jan. 4. That day most of the audience was under over the age of 50, but at today's event the most common constituency of the audience was people over 55, especially women. They were joined by small pockets of young people under 25. There were between 150 and 200 people seated and standing.

While the audience waited for Michelle Obama to arrive — she was also an hour late — they milled about and ate baked goods. Unlike all the other rallies and town hall meetings, there was enough room left to move around.

Michelle Obama entered to a standing ovation from the audience before moving into a about an hour long prepared speech. She used her time to address the common concern levied against her husband, primarily that he is too unqualified by laying out all the experience he’s had through his community organizing and state senate service. She echoed the campaign’s common themes of hope and change achieved through some level of sacrifice by telling of her own family’s experience of a father who worked a blue collar job, her stay at home mom and how they put two kids through Princeton. “A man like my father, of simple means, could send two kids to Princeton.”

She didn’t take questions, though she spoke with many people as they moved toward her to shake her hand and pose for pictures. When we made it to her we mentioned we were here from the Daily Princetonian, and her response was “Yeah Tigers!” accompanied by a high five.

Hillary Rallies Her Troops

We initially thought that the most exciting part about New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s rally today was that it was 15 minutes away from our hotel and started at noon, meaning that we didn’t have to arrive get there until 10 a.m. and could finally get some rest. After returning to our hotel at midnight last night from a short Bill Richardson event and then writing up our posts, we were exhausted.

The line to gain entrance to the event had already formed when we arrived two hours ahead of time, and the Nashua North High School gym was already set up with a stage and the largest American flag I have ever seen. When we left for the Secret Service sweep the line stretched the length of the school.

Fitting given its location, the event opened like a sports game with a Clinton staffer warming up the crowd by throwing pom poms and shirts and holding a game of Hillary trivia. (Sample question: Where did Hillary Clinton attend law school? Yale. Boo.) The crowd of around 2,000 was very active, screaming loudly. Hillary arrived about an hour late, accompanied by her daughter. She went straight into her speech without being introduced.

Her speech addressed the issues of change and experience. She used the words change and changes more than 10 times in her prepared speech. The vast majority of her speech was devoted to the topic of healthcare, the issue that has become the defining policy question of the Democratic primary. She indirectly criticized the extent of Obama’s plan, alleging it would leave 15 million residents uninsured. In comparison she brought up her work on the Children’s Health Insurance Program to emphasize her understanding and experience with the issue.

She also took questions from the audience, but often it was difficult to hear the speaker. There were several about healthcare in addition to some about the environment and foreign policy. During the questions audience members in the previously at-capacity crowd streamed out, the first time I had seen such a response. The event was also the longest one we’ve attended at about 80 minutes of Clinton speaking.

Bill Hits The Bars

As we left the Obama event, we learned from a handful of Hillary Clinton supporters walking along Plymouth’s Main Street that Bill Clinton would be greeting supporters at a nearby restaurant. We decided to check it out.



Arriving at 7:30 p.m., the former president was greeted by around 75 supporters in the basement of Lucky Dog Tavern. He took the microphone for almost an hour, stressing the importance of converting undecided voters and getting out the vote in Tuesday’s primary.



Clinton conceded that the Obama camp had done a better job of mobilizing young voters in Iowa but argued that his wife had the best plan for their future. He said that blunting Obama’s momentum from Iowa would be difficult, but that supporters could help the campaign by urging their friends to vote for the New York senator.

Obama '85 Makes Case to Plymouth

After the Clinton event, we raced up Interstate 93 from Nashua to Plymouth, a small community about halfway up the state. There we found about 200 Granite Staters packed into the Obama campaign office waiting for Michelle Obama ’85. The event was originally scheduled as a “house party,” but unexpected interest in the event required a change in venue.



Obama spoke to supporters in the crowded basement for nearly an hour, and her comments covered a wide array of issues. She said we live in a “cynical and fearful world” and that she wanted to help create a world of hope and change for her daughters and all other young people in the country. She spoke of her own childhood, the hard work and sacrifice of her parents and how all Americans must be willing to sacrifice for one another and the country. She cautioned that, while an Obama presidency would bring change, America must understand that change is painful and takes effort, involvement and sacrifice on the part of every individual.

Afterwards Obama worked the room for almost half an hour, was thrilled to hear that a couple of 'Prince' reporters made the trip up to New Hampshire and made sure that her beloved Pyne and Patton Halls were still standing tall back on campus.

Hillary: "Ready for Change. Ready to Lead."

We were back on the trail this morning, this time at a rally for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton at Nashua North High School. The event drew an enormous crowd, as literally thousands lined the sidewalk outside the school before the doors opened. Once inside, the campaign blared music from Bon Jovi, Rascal Flatts and others and threw out T-shirts during “Hillary Trivia” to keep supporters occupied for more than an hour.

Clinton arrived shortly after 1 p.m. with daughter Chelsea and immediately launched into a 40-minute stump speech that drew stark contrasts between her and frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama. Responding to Obama’s campaign themes of change and hope, Clinton said that hers is a record of action and not just words, and that both Obama and John Edwards had taken numerous positions in the last few years that did not represent change.



After her remarks, Clinton took more then 40 minutes of questions, no easy task considering the more than 2,000 supporters packed into the school’s gym, on everything from healthcare and education to social security, global warming and the war in Iraq. The 80-minute event was the longest of our trip, and attendees could be seen filing out of the gym well before it was over.

America's Most Influential Papers Converge

'Prince' reporter Matt Westmoreland '10 made his way onto the front page of Saturday's New York Times ... with a little help from Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Westmoreland, seen below in the bottom of the photo, was taking pictures of the Democratic frontrunner for the paper as he arrived at a Concord High School rally Friday morning.

Romney Raises the Bar (Scene)

After finishing Saturday night's Republican debate on ABC, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made his way to Varick's Sports Bar in downtown Manchester to meet with an energetic group of supporters.

More than 100 people packed into the small establishment just west of Elm Street to watch the 90-minute debate and cheer on their candidate during a post-debate rally. Romney and his wife Ann joined the group for about five minutes, thanking them for their support and predicting a victory on Tuesday, before leaving.

Working for the Votes: Richardson

Bill Richardson’s Manchester field office is located in a strip mall about seven minutes from downtown Manchester. When we arrived about 50 volunteers, staffers and supporters had crowded into the largest of his three rooms to watch the New Mexico governor debate. Their ages were split, old supporters and young volunteers.

(Governor Bill Richardson, Jacob Aronson '11)

Jacob Aronson ’11, a Daily Princetonian copy staffer, was among the volunteers. He’s the one Princeton volunteer from the Pace program and has mostly spent his first few days calling voters around the state. However, at 2 a.m. Friday he joined other members of the Richardson team at the airport, greeting the governor as he arrived from Iowa.

Similarly, the entire group moved toward the door when Richardson arrived for a post-debate event. He made his way around the room, shaking everyone’s hand and thanking them for their support. A tired-looking Richardson then left without making a speech.

Huckabee: Two Slices To-Go

Between the Edwards rally this morning and visiting Princeton students volunteering at campaign offices in Manchester, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat at Caesario's Pizza Parlor on Elm Street.




Less than five minutes after we arrived, two buses pulled up outside and the Huckabee for President contingent made its way inside. Though the former Arkansas governor and winner of the Iowa Caucus did not take any press questions (and we tried...), he enjoyed finding another Southerner here in the Granite State when he learned I was from Georgia.

"They don't have any grits up here," he lamented. "Let me know if you find a place that has any."

Working for the Votes: Obama

The Obama for America headquarters seemed large and busy as easily 100 people worked on assembling groups to go out canvassing or to provide visibility, which means to stand on the side of the road and hold a sign supporting the candidate. The colors inside were bright and the volunteers were young.




There we met Toni De Mello GS and Melody Chan GS, who we followed as they canvassed to see the typical work of campaign volunteers. They drove out to Bedford, N.H., which looked typically New England from its white First Congregational Church to the snow on the ground. The snow is what causes the most problems for the canvassers. It’s difficult to walk from house to house. It was later in the afternoon and the pair had a Princeton car, so they drove instead.

They stopped at a home and rang the doorbell. While we were with them we saw them arrive at homes where no one was home, while another time they disappeared into the house to speak with a man for a good 20 minutes and try to answer any questions he had about Obama’s policies, and finally, another person announced that he had decided to vote for Obama. That was their favorite.

Edwards Takes Political Shots in Concord

We entered an empty Bektash Temple Hall this morning when we arrived for a John Edwards rally in the Concord auditorium. But when the Edwards family arrived shortly before 11 a.m., more than 400 people had crammed into a town-hall space designed to hold only half that. Volunteers lined the room's walls with gray folding chairs as the crowd waited patiently for the tardy candidate. The crowd was an even mixture of all ages and both genders, contrasting it with the young and mainly female crowd at the Obama rally, and the much older and predominantely male group at McCain's town-hall meeting.

The former North Carolina senator was introduced by his wife Elizabeth Edwards, and his three children Cate '04, Jack (above) and Emma Claire were on hand, as were the 2004 vice-presidential nominee's parents.

Each event we've attended in New Hampshire has been markedly different, and Edwards' was no exception. Obama had his 2,000 supporters crowded around a full stage. McCain stood on large black riser against one wall of VFW 5791. Edwards, in contrast, had nothing. Surrounded entirely by voters, Edwards stood on the floor for more than hour throughout his 30-minute speech and the Q&A session that followeed.

Edwards' remarks focused mainly on domestic policy, including his plan to bring about universal health care and his strong beliefs on ending what he called corporate America's grip on the people's government. Edwards also urged a quick end to the war in Iraq and stressed his experience in foreign policy to show his readiness to deal with issues like Iran, Pakistan, Russia and nuclear proliferation.

Gibson '65 Moderates First Post-Iowa Debates

ABC anchor Charlie Gibson moderated debates between the leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidates Saturday night just two days before New Hampshire voters go to the polls.

The Republican forum included Iowa Caucus winner and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Shortly after their 90-minute exchange, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson took part in the Democratic debate. Both were held at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

Three candidates were kept out of the debate: Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Gov. Mike Gravel, both Democrats, and California Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican. ABC narrowed the field by requiring that participants meet at least one of three criteria: place first through fourth in Iowa, poll 5 percent or higher in one of the last four major New Hampshire surveys, or poll 5 percent or higher in one of the last four major national surveys.

Tomorrow evening, Fox News will hold a debate for Huckabee, Giuliani, Romney, Thompson and McCain. Paul and Hunter were not invited.

Working for the Votes: Kucinich

Campaign signs blanket Elm Street, Manchester’s Main Street, often accompanied by volunteers shouting slogans. Most of the campaigns' state headquarters are located on or nearby Elm, making it the locus of campaign activity. Even just going about normal business doesn’t insulate you from the events. Matt and I had just ordered our lunch when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and his campaign chose our restaurant as the site for a meet and greet.

The building at 786 Elm is the headquarters of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, where Michael Collins ’11, a Daily Princetonian staff photographer, is working through the Pace Civic Engagement Program. His job has kept him out of the cold; he's compiling maps for the volunteers who will be canvassing. He’s one of about 20 volunteers who work out of a two-room second-floor apartment. The restaurant below, which is known for hosting candidates who want to look just like regular people, is more of a draw than their small workplace.

It looks a bit like a sparse dorm room after another roommate has moved away. There are bits of trash on the floor and empty wall space where the staff hasn’t taped up campaign signs. One room has two mattresses sitting flush with the ground and a bunk bed. Guests sit on a bench seat that looks like it was taken from a car.

A large group of volunteers stood at the corner of Elm, chanting and waving their “Kucinich for President” signs. On the other side of the crossroad a smattering of Ron Paul and Hillary Clinton supporters gathered, while a McCain group marched back and forth on the other side of Elm Street. Cars drive through this election gauntlet and occasionally honk, drawing excited cheers.

Breaking News: Bradley '65 to endorse Obama

ABC News reported late Saturday night that former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley '65 will endorse Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Monday in his quest for the Democratic nomination.

An Obama campaign staffer confirmed the endorsement on the condition of anonymity.

A source close to the former Princeton basketball star told ABC the NBA hall of famer waited to endorse Obama until after the Iowa Caucus because he wanted to see how former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards finished. Edwards' 30 percent in last Thursday's contest was second to Obama's 38 percent. The 2004 vice presidential candidate narrowly beat out New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who finished third with 29 percent.

Bradley ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, losing to former Vice President Al Gore. Bradley lost to Gore 50 percent-46 percent in that year's New Hampshire Democratic Primary.

Our Tentative Schedule

Friday, Jan. 4:
- Barack Obama rally at Concord High School, Concord (12:30 p.m.)
- John McCain town hall meeting at VFW Post 5791, Hudson (6 p.m.)

Saturday, Jan. 5:
- John Edwards rally at Bektash Temple Hall, Concord (10:15 a.m.)
- Mitt Romney post-debate rally at Varick's Sports Bar, Manchester (9:15 a.m.)

Sunday, Jan. 6:
- Hillary Clinton rally at Nashua North High School, Nashua (Noon)

Monday, Jan. 7:
- Mike Huckabee rally at Barley House, Concord (Noon)
- Bill Richardson rally at Franco-American Centre, Manchester (6 p.m.)

Tuesday, Jan. 8:
- The New Hampshire Primary

Covering New Hampshire: An Introduction

It’s a five-day firestorm, a political junkie’s paradise. A dozen candidates from both major political parties descended on New Hampshire today as the state prepares for the nation’s first presidential primary on Tuesday, Jan. 8. And we decided to tag along. Over the next several days we will traverse the Granite State ’s snow-covered roads to cover candidates from both sides of the aisle, as well as the student volunteers and alumni who support them.

Following a disappointing second-place finish in Iowa, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the first candidate on the ground, holding a 2 a.m. arrival rally in Portsmouth. After Romney lost to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 34 percent-25 percent, in Iowa, New Hampshire is seen as a must-win for a Romney campaign that must now contend with surging Arizona Sen. John McCain. On the Democratic front, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s first-place finish in the Caucus positioned the first-term member of Congress as the frontrunner in the upcoming battle with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. The two finished second and third, respectively, in the Caucus, and each must work to stop Obama’s momentum before Tuesday’s voting.

Luckily they don’t have to do it alone, and a handful of Tigers have offered to lend a hand. In addition to students that came up on their own, more than 20 Princeton students, spread across six campaigns (five Democratic, one Republican), arrived in New Hampshire yesterday in a trip organized by the Pace Center program for Civic Engagement Learning. Between now and Tuesday, some of them will log 20-hour days as they give all they’ve got to the candidate of their choice. The race is on, and it’s a sprint to the finish.

Day One

Friday, the first day after the Iowa Caucus awarded first place to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, we arrived in New Hampshire. Our plan for the day was a lunchtime rally for Obama and and an evening town hall meeting for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

We arrived Concord High School two hours early while a combination of Obama staffers, volunteers and students set up the site. The school was well prepared for the influx of visitors; Obama is the 11th 2008 presidential candidate to hold an event there.

Obama arrived an hour after the doors opened, and the packed gym waited listening to songs piped in through large speakers set around the perimeter of the room. After introductions, Obama himself entered to Clocks, by Coldplay, while the crowd cheered loudly.

Obama spoke for about half an hour, focusing his attention on hope, as well as the need and the sacrifices required for change. "In four days" was his refrain, reminding the audience, about a quarter of whom indicated they were undecided, to vote for him in the primary.

Obama's promises to end the war in Iraq, intervene in Darfur and establish universal health care received the biggest applause. He repeatedly stressed the immediacy of the need for change. "Young people answered the call yesterday, all across Iowa," he said, noting the huge increase in under-30 involvement in the caucuses. The audience had a significant number of students from Concord High, which was in session, but also a significant number of young people traveled specifically to the event. The average age was definitely skewed to under 40.

"Let's get to work," concluded Obama amid loud cheers. Afterwards he worked his way down the crowd, stopping to talk to fans and interested voters along the way. About half of the 1,500 to 2,000 people who attended waited to try to move in close to the senator. Many just wanted to shake his hand and listened to music by Kenny Chesney, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Steve Wonder and John Mayer while they waited for the opportunity.

Joining the audience was a large press corps including reporters and photographers from many national and international organizations, though Obama did not take any questions from the press.

Afterwards we drove south to McCain's event located in Hudson, N.H., at VFW Post 5791. The audience at the McCain event was noticeably older and whiter and predominantly male. This may be attributed to the fact that it was held in a VFW. About 400 people attended, filling every chair and the standing room. Instead of just prepared remarks, like the Obama rally, McCain began by addressing climate change, Iraq and Washington corruption and then opened the floor to questions.

Much of the conversation revolved around the military. Talk about Iraq, the Veteran's Administration and even the jokes referenced McCain's time in the service. Many veterans attended the event, as did some of McCain's friends from his own time in the military. Senator Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined the audience as well. The event itself began with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

McCain addressed both those attending and the press afterwards before driving away on his "Straight Talk Express."

(Matt Westmoreland '10 (l.), Arizona Senator John McCain (c.), Kate Benner '10)