While rest of field (other than Rudy) campaigns in Ames, Iowa, McCain stumps in NH
While the rest of the GOP field (except Rudy Giuliani, also not contesting the Straw Poll) campaigns in Ames, Iowa, Senator McCain has been hitting the stump in New Hampshire.
It also helps that reports are surfacing, noting that Senator Sam Brownback has been calling McCain’s already-ID’d voters. The purpose of the calls is Brownback’s offer to ferry them to Ames, pay for their $35 tickets, and vote tactically for Brownback. The mutual goal is to help Brownback reduce Mitt Romney’s margin of victory, which benefits both Brownback and McCain.
According to the Manchester Union-Leader, which describes McCain’s appearances on Thursday:
Arizona Sen. John McCain flew to New Hampshire yesterday looking to rebound from a recent bout of bad press about his campaign by focusing on one of his greater strengths — town hall meetings, according to Crystal Benton, a campaign spokeswoman.
Last night he stood at the center of 250 potential voters in a community hall answering questions on topics from protecting eminent domain at the federal level to what he called a mishandling of the war in Iraq.
“Donald Rumsfeld will go down as one of the worst Secretaries of Defense in our history,” said McCain. He said the change in military leadership and surge of troops on the ground in Iraq are working. “We are winning. We are winning, but you may not hear that in the media. We must stay in Iraq to keep stability in the region.” He said his first three priorities after being sworn into office would be closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, banning torture as a tool of American intelligence officials and initiating an international agreement on climate change that would include India and China.
Many of the voters in the audience supported McCain during his 2000 New Hampshire primary win and were back last night to see if his days of the “Straight Talk Express” still lived on.
“After tonight, I am going to do everything I can to turn this thing around,” said Brad Marston, who drove from Boston to see McCain. “They spent half an hour pulling out extra chairs, so tell me again how this campaign is dead? It’s not.” Brenda Barton came from Manchester to ask McCain a question on health care during the town hall event.
“I think that of all the questions that he was asked, he was able to be poignant and clear about his objective,” she said afterwards. “I felt more sure about him. I think with any campaign, he will build momentum. I think if he can garner crowds like this in every town he goes to, he will do well.” She said she made up her mind to vote for him after meeting him last night…
“We are doing the same thing we did in 1999,” said McCain in response to questions about the viability of his campaign. He said he was happy with the campaign and that he has the same strategy for winning this year as he has in the past- by meeting New Hampshire voters face to face.
McCain has scheduled campaign stops in Wolfeboro today and Conway tomorrow.
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