When New Hampshire votes, the nation listens.
Presidential campaigns have soared and plummeted as the result of votes cast in the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary. Contenders spin through the state with increasing frequency as that early 2008 date draws near. They all have a pitch to make, a platform to sell, and ideas with which to test the political waters.
Media coverage of the backyard barbecues, the town meeting-style gatherings and even the well-organized debates often tends to focus on what the candidates want voters to hear - rather than on the issues voters care about.
To make sure we bring you the stories you want to read, The Eagle-Tribune is engaging 154 Southern New Hampshire residents in an ongoing conversation about their hopes, concerns and issues they feel are most important.
We introduce these voters to you today. They represent 16 Southern New Hampshire towns, most in Rockingham County. Among them are stay-at-home mothers, engineers, laborers, business owners, students, bankers, teachers, physicians and retirees.
Their average age is 48. Two of them have seen their 90th birthdays and have watched more than a dozen presidents be elected. Nine still are teenagers, eager to cast their first presidential ballots.
The group is fairly evenly divided among political parties: 36 percent are registered Independents, 34 percent declare themselves Republicans, 23 percent Democrats, and the rest are undeclared or not willing to share that information. Fifty-three percent of our voters are women, almost matching the state's 51 percent female population.
They have concerns - lots of them - and they're looking for solutions from the presidential wannabees crisscrossing the state, vying for votes.
Participants were asked to choose 10 issues of top concern to them from a list of 25 topics, ranging from minimum wage to foreign relations, and food safety to public education. They also ranked those issues in order of importance.
The U.S. presence in Iraq was the No. 1 concern for 33 percent of our voters. Health care followed with 14 percent choosing it as their biggest concern.
Health care made the top 10 list of 86 percent of participants, followed closely by Iraq, making the top 10 for 84 percent. Social Security was close behind, making the list of 73 percent of participants.
Presidential campaigns have soared and plummeted as the result of votes cast in the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary. Contenders spin through the state with increasing frequency as that early 2008 date draws near. They all have a pitch to make, a platform to sell, and ideas with which to test the political waters.
Media coverage of the backyard barbecues, the town meeting-style gatherings and even the well-organized debates often tends to focus on what the candidates want voters to hear - rather than on the issues voters care about.
To make sure we bring you the stories you want to read, The Eagle-Tribune is engaging 154 Southern New Hampshire residents in an ongoing conversation about their hopes, concerns and issues they feel are most important.
We introduce these voters to you today. They represent 16 Southern New Hampshire towns, most in Rockingham County. Among them are stay-at-home mothers, engineers, laborers, business owners, students, bankers, teachers, physicians and retirees.
Their average age is 48. Two of them have seen their 90th birthdays and have watched more than a dozen presidents be elected. Nine still are teenagers, eager to cast their first presidential ballots.
The group is fairly evenly divided among political parties: 36 percent are registered Independents, 34 percent declare themselves Republicans, 23 percent Democrats, and the rest are undeclared or not willing to share that information. Fifty-three percent of our voters are women, almost matching the state's 51 percent female population.
They have concerns - lots of them - and they're looking for solutions from the presidential wannabees crisscrossing the state, vying for votes.
Participants were asked to choose 10 issues of top concern to them from a list of 25 topics, ranging from minimum wage to foreign relations, and food safety to public education. They also ranked those issues in order of importance.
The U.S. presence in Iraq was the No. 1 concern for 33 percent of our voters. Health care followed with 14 percent choosing it as their biggest concern.
Health care made the top 10 list of 86 percent of participants, followed closely by Iraq, making the top 10 for 84 percent. Social Security was close behind, making the list of 73 percent of participants.
A surprising 113 of our 154 voters ranked Social Security among the top 10 issues they will consider when evaluating who should be the next president.
Age did not appear to matter: Social Security is the third most important issue for a 17-year-old Salem student who will cast his first ballot next year, as well as for a 43-year-old banker from Hampstead and a 71-year-old retiree from Atkinson.
While many issues were wildly popular - Iraq, immigration and health care - our voters' reasons for choosing those concerns varied. Some think the country's immigration laws are too weak and want to see our borders tightened; others believe the country was founded on an open-door policy and want to see that continue. Many voters are concerned about the country's continued presence in Iraq and want a president who will get us out the fastest, but others want a leader to stay the course and see the mission through.
Our voters are active democratic citizens. Ninety percent have cast ballots in previous presidential elections, many of them in every election since they were eligible to vote. They take their responsibility seriously.
"I've voted in every election since I was old enough to vote," said Tom Case, 73, a retired engineer from Windham. "I believe it's very important."
And many of our participants, both longtime voters and those who will cast their first ballots, are politically involved beyond the ballot box.
Fifty-seven percent have attended a campaign event. Thirty-seven percent have donated to a presidential campaign. Twenty-five percent have volunteered for a campaign.
We didn't ask participants which candidate they're supporting, but we will as the campaign season progresses. Even so, with a woman, a black man and a practicing Mormon among the front-runners, we did ask whether religion, race or gender matters when choosing a president. It does not, according to a whopping 83 percent.
Religion mattered to a few, and a handful of others said gender, race and religion mattered only "somewhat" or "not necessarily."
As the weeks and months pass, we'll call on our 154 participants regularly, gauging their responses to debates and candidate announcements, and delving deeper into the topics that interest them most.
If you have concerns or interests we're not covering, let us know. Our goal is to make our campaign coverage useful, informative and germane to Southern New Hampshire voters.
And finally, to the 154 residents who agreed to share their thoughts and opinions with us throughout this campaign season, a sincere thank-you.
What matters most
Following are the 25 issues and the percentage of voters who included each one in their top 10 lists.
1. Health care, 86 percent
2. U.S. presence in Iraq, 84 percent
3. Social Security, 73 percent
4. National security/terrorism, 67 percent
5. Public education, 63 percent
6. Immigration, 60 percent
7. Taxes, 59 percent
8. U.S. foreign relations/world image, 56 percent
9. Alternate energy, 50 percent
10. Environment, 48 percent
11. Employment, 40 percent
12. Military spending, 34 percent
13. Global warming, 33 percent
14. Student loan debt/access to higher education, 31 percent
15. Stem cell research, 29 percent
16. Civil rights, 28 percent
17. Food safety, 25 percent
18. FDA and drug safety, 24 percent
19. Abortion, 18 percent
20. Free trade, 17 percent
21. Gun control,16 percent
22. Gay marriage, 13 percent
23. Minimum wage, 12 percent
24. NASA/space exploration, 8 percent
25. Darfur, 7 percent
Our 154 voters at a glance
GENDER
Female: 81
Male: 73
AGE
Teenagers: 9
20 to 29: 16
30 to 39: 20
40 to 49: 45
50 to 59: 26
60 to 69: 24
70 to 79: 11
80 to 89: 1
90-plus: 2
PARTY
Independent: 55
Republican: 52
Democrat: 36
Undeclared or not registered: 11
