New Hampshire Primary Lacks The Ground Game Of Previous Elections

23:26

December 12, 2011

Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman speaks to the New Hampshire legislature during a campaign stop at the Statehouse in Concord, N.H., in November. (AP)

[sidebar]

12/14: Inside Ron Paul’s Granite State Surge
12/12: New Hampshire Primary Lacks The Ground Game Of Previous Elections
12/9: New Hampshire’s Fading Tradition Of Retail Politics

More: WBUR's complete N.H. Primary 101 coverage
Related: WBUR's complete Election 2012 coverage[/sidebar]

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich both campaigned Monday in New Hampshire.

With just a month to go before the primary, the Gingrich campaign is working hard to set up a full-fledged campaign in the Granite State. While Romney has had years to build a campaign operation in the state, Gingrich has only recently acquired the dollars and the poll numbers to allow him to compete on the ground.

So does this mean there's finally a meaningful race in New Hampshire? Maybe. But until now, there's been relatively little pre-primary excitement across the state.

Compared to past years, candidate appearances are down; so is the amount of money spent on political ads. Has the New Hampshire primary become less important?

Guests:

Ken Rudin, political editor, NPR
Andy Smith, director, University of New Hampshire Survey Center

This segment aired on December 12, 2011.