N.H. proud to be feisty at polls

State's voters often turn political convention on its head, and don't even get them started on Iowa

PENACOOK, N.H. -- New Hampshire's ornery voters relish the supersized impact of their presidential primary on Tuesday. They plan to head to the polls with little deference to Thursday's Iowa caucus results, especially Republicans, and with a history to prove it.

That means the candidates who fell short in Iowa have some hope of resurrection in the Granite State.

Sen. John McCain, who finished fourth among Republicans in Iowa, already is trying to tap into New Hampshire voters' maverick instincts. He reminds them in a new television ad that in 2000, they chose him over President Bush, the winner of that year's Iowa caucus.

"You turned convention on its head," McCain says, talking to the camera, "because you didn't care what the experts or the media said."

New Hampshire has flexed its independent muscle for nearly four decades, spurning so many Iowa caucus winners in open races that it has been the exception, rather than the rule, to win both states. The trend applies to both parties, but Democratic candidates in some years have scored back-to-back victories. Republicans, on the other hand, have never awarded Iowa and New Hampshire to the same candidate in an open nomination race since Iowa took on its crucial early role in 1972.

This is where Ronald Reagan won after losing Iowa, and Bill Clinton scored a surprise second place after he and other Democrats were swept aside in the Iowa caucus by one of that state's own U.S. senators. In both cases, New Hampshire salvaged their campaigns.

"It's the Yankee attitude that we don't care what happens anywhere else," said Debbie Nita, 44, owner of the Village Roaster coffee shop in Peterborough and an undecided voter.

The state's collective shrug shows in its motto, "Live Free or Die," or its refusal to pass a motorcycle helmet law, she said. "We don't care what happens in Iowa."

Issues are similar

Instead of taking their cues from Iowa, New Hampshire's voters are focused on the same issues that ring familiar across the country: jobs, Iraq, illegal immigration and health care costs.

"In this area, there are a lot of people who don't have health insurance," said Birgitt Middleton, 30, a mother of three young girls in Jaffrey. "A minor accident can be devastating."

She is deciding between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primary.

"Secure the border," said Katie Drew, 50, of Keene. She dropped her support for Republican Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, because she found him insufficiently tough on illegal immigrants. Now she's checking out former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.

The candidates within each party, though, differ little on many issues. That leaves voters choosing based on their gut, what they sense about the candidates as people or see in their appearance, despite the state's deserved reputation for scrutinizing the nuances of candidates' positions.

Is McCain, 71, too old, one voter asked.

Another wondered if Obama was realistic in thinking the two parties will work together.

"It's more of a character thing or believability. Who's going to get the job done?" said Marcia Rollins, 55, outside a Clinton town hall meeting in Penacook on Saturday. Rollins, a registered independent who is undecided, works on the school technology staff in nearby Salisbury.

Loretta Welsh, 63, a Fitzwilliam resident, is trying to determine what's in each candidate's heart: "Are they just words, or do they really mean what they're saying?"

She is deciding between Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Voters considering McCain often praise his authenticity and integrity.