Chris Akel
News Editor
The season’s buzzword “change” is jumping from the horse’s mouth onto the campaign trail itself. On Tuesday evening, the Democratic primary in New Hampshire rendered a victory for Sen. Hillary Clinton, who just the day before trailed behind Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. After a disappointing third-place in the Iowa caucuses behind both Sens. Obama and John Edwards, Clinton attracted enough votes in New Hampshire to pull away from Obama by 3 percent. Clinton gained 46 percent of the female vote while Obama garnered only 34 percent, reported The Associated Press. She also appealed strongly to people ages 40-49 and seniors.
Associate professor of political science Anthony Nownes, attributed Clinton’s success to her change in tone immediately before the primary.
“As far as Hillary goes, … after the Iowa caucus she presented herself differently. She showed a side of herself that she doesn’t show as often, a vulnerability, and usually she’s a little more scripted. I think that helped a lot,” Nownes said.
Having made a large footprint in Iowa, Obama trailed slightly in New Hampshire. According to the AP, he won 60 percent of the youngest voters, ages 18-24, as well as a large part of the male vote; nevertheless, women voters outnumbered their male counterparts 57-43, reported AP. Knoxville supporters aren’t giving up yet. Knoxville for Obama, a group supporting the senator’s campaign efforts, held a primary watch celebration at Aubrey’s restaurant Tuesday evening.
“It was very close, and he definitely still has a chance,” said Margaret Grisgby, assistant promotions director for South Central Radio Group and a member of Knoxville for Obama.
“The big thing is that in the Democrats, the top three candidates are staying steady. The party is united in itself. … the Republicans are divided, but the Democrats are narrowing down to Clinton, Obama and Edwards.”
Grisgby’s group will continue host a day-long, canvassing trip to South Carolina this Saturday, Jan. 12 in support of Obama’s campaign.
Although he lost to Clinton in New Hampshire, Obama gained public support from the Unite Here labor union in Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 9, which could give him an edge in the state’s upcoming primary election.
“When you hear the candidates, they’re all really talking about the same things,” Grigsby said. “When you listen to Hillary Clinton, when you listen to John Edwards and Barack Obama … it all comes down to, ‘Is it believable?’”
While the Democratic field is narrowing, the Republican nomination is still up for grabs. Sen. John McCain’s surprising victory revived a campaign that once acknowledged to The New York Times was “in a political and financial crisis”. Nownes attributed McCain’s comeback to the state of the Republican primaries.
“McCain benefitted from the fact that the Republican race is wide open. With him it’s a tough line to be both supportive of the war and critical of some of the efforts,” Nownes said. “It’s going to help his money. … He knew he didn’t have much of a chance if he didn’t come up in New Hampshire.”
Yet, McCain’s competition, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee and aren’t finished just yet, since they are hanging on the hopes of thier stronger states.
For many other candidates, the New Hampshire primary served as a turning point.
“For some candidates, it’s very important,” Nownes said. “For Fred Thompson (the former Republican senator from Tennessee) for instance, for as poorly he’s done, they are very important. If you don’t come in the top two or three, you’re virtually done. That is the case with many candidates.”
And with the political tides changing over the next few weeks, “change” has spread to characterize every aspect of the political atmosphere.
“Any time a president has been in office for 8 years, especially with a fairly unpopular president, which George W. Bush certainly is, you’re going to here about (change), so of course the Democrats have to use it,” Nownes said. “But the Republicans, because George W. Bush is unpopular, are using it as well.”
The early primaries will continue through January with Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina and Florida and through Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, when 22 states will hold their primary elections.
