A day on the campaign trail.

AuthorSmith, Patricia
PositionUpfront: ELECTION 2016

Even in the Internet age, you can't run for president without meeting voters face-to-face. Upfront spends a day with Republican candidate Carly Fiorina in New Hampshire.

It's lunchtime in Concord, New Hampshire's state capital, and the Barley House, a restaurant across from the State House, is packed. With three months to go before voters head to the polls in the New Hampshire primary in February, there's more on the menu this November day than just burgers and fries. Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina is here trying to win over voters the old-fashioned way: She's posing for photos, autographing campaign signs, shaking hands, and engaging in small talk. She's hoping to energize her supporters and win over those who don't yet know who they'll vote for.

"We have to take our government back," Fiorina says, giving her first stump speech of the day to about 40 people. After talking for a few minutes, Fiorina turns to a girl sitting nearby: "Maybe you have a question?"

"Um, why do you want to run for president?" asks 8-year-old Ana Koski of Weare, New Hampshire.

Fiorina beams. "That is the essential question!" She talks about how fortunate her life has been and the lessons she has learned from that. She started out as a secretary in California and worked her way up. Fiorina, 61, has never held public office, but she's the former CEO (chief executive officer) of technology giant Hewlett-Packard.

She turns back to Ana and says, "I'm running because I want all the possibilities present in my life to be present in your life and my granddaughter's life."

Ana's mother, Patricia Koski, brought her to see an election up close. "This is better education than you can get in a book," she explains. "This is living government."

Fiorina is one of 14 candidates vying to become the Republican nominee for president in 2016. Three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination.

Just Like Lincoln

Despite all the bells and whistles of politics in 2016--from Twitter and Instagram to bloggers and YouHibe--you still can't run for president without campaigning the same way that Abraham Lincoln did: meeting people face-to-face, answering their questions, and explaining why you deserve their votes. In early November, Upfront spent a day with Fiorina on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, where she's lagging behind several higher-profile candidates.

By tradition, the February 9 New Hampshire primary is the second contest in the election, coming eight days after the Iowa caucuses (see "Primary Matters," p. 12). Because it's so early in the process, it's important for all candidates, but for Fiorina it's critical. With a crowded field of contenders and poll numbers stuck in the single digits, her campaign will likely be in real trouble without a better-than-expected showing in New Hampshire.

"A good performance in New Hampshire can change a campaign overnight," says Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire. "A bad or disappointing showing can evaporate a campaign overnight."

Struggling in the Polls

Not everyone likes the fact that New Hampshire (population 1.3 million) and Iowa (population 3.1 million)--which are much less diverse than the rest of the nation--wield so much influence in the presidential nominating process. But both states fiercely defend their roles.

And the candidates often do too, at least publicly. "This is a state that vets candidates and takes citizenship and voting seriously," Fiorina says.

In the months leading up to the primary, New Hampshire is crawling with presidential candidates who crisscross the state, giving speeches, attending meetings at schools and churches, and holding forums where voters can ask questions. The week that Upfront followed Fiorina around, 10 other candidates held at least 34 events in the state.

Fiorina's day began with a ritual of presidential campaigns: going to the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office to file the papers putting her name on the ballot for the primary. In a room jammed with reporters, photographers, cameramen, and secretaries standing on desks to see, Fiorina handed over a $1,000 check (the filing fee) and signed the papers. Outside the office, dozens of cheering supporters lined the hallway, wearing red "Carly for America" T-shirts and waving homemade signs.

By 12:30 she's across the street at the Barley House, where everyone gathers close to hear what she has to say.

"When I started campaigning in New Hampshire, nobody knew who I was. Polls said less than 4 percent of voters had ever heard my name," she tells them. "I'm gratified that we're now in the top tier of candidates."

That may be overstating things a bit. Fiorina experienced a bump in the...

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