New Hampshire Primary
By Charlie Keenan

	Campaign stops in New Hampshire diners are a traditional campaign tactic for all presidential candidates. Here, U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman talks to diners in Concord, New Hampshire. (Photo Courtesy Joe Lieberman for President Campaign)

New Hampshire has been the first primary in presidential elections since 1920. It follows the Iowa caucuses, and it's your last chance to make a name for yourself before the presidential election cranks into high gear.

Just like in Iowa, you'll have to go to lots of rallies in the months leading up to the big day in January. If you love red, white, and blue balloons, and seeing crowds waving signs with your name on them, you'll love campaigning in New Hampshire.

Your job in New Hampshire is to get an edge on the other contenders. In this primary, you need to court the voters one at a time. Primaries are elections where the voters decide, rather than just party officials at caucuses.

The stakes are high. If you don't emerge from New Hampshire victorious on January 27—or a close runner-up—you'll be in trouble. That's because the media will focus on the top contenders—the ones who caught on with the voters.

“Candidates need to do well in New Hampshire and Iowa because of the agenda-setting function of the press,” says Gregory Payne, a professor of political communication at Emerson College in Boston. Those states will “either sink candidates, or catapult them to a national stature.”

Still, losing in New Hampshire does not always mean the end. Bill Clinton broke the pattern by losing to Senator Paul Tsongas in 1992, then going on to win the nomination and the presidency. President Bush lost to John McCain in 2000, and also went on to capture the party's nomination and later the White House.

Historically, however, New Hampshire picks the eventual winner. State officials say the voters are a good sampling of the electorate, with 38 percent registered as Republicans, and 32 percent registered as Democrats.

Win or lose, you'll need positive media coverage to give you a boost for the real frenzy, which begins February 3. From February 3-10, primaries and caucuses will be held in 13 states. On Super Tuesday, March 2, most of the nation's largest states will choose candidates. As of March 2, more than half of the states will have held elections.

With such a compact schedule, you'll need to spend more money on TV advertising. If you win in New Hampshire, you'll ride a wave of more campaign contributions, which will be critical in the months ahead. If you don't place in the top three, your donors will likely dry up—they want to support the winners.

Besides voters, courting the press in the early states like New Hampshire is key. "From a candidate's perspective, you must have a very important public relations individual who is going to cater to the needs of the press," Payne says. "He or she must try as best as possible to introduce and create a relationship between the candidate and the press."

So you better get out your heavy winter coat, your hat and gloves, and head north to New Hampshire as soon as possible!