Students Attend New Hampshire Primaries with Marist Poll

The Marist Institute for Public Opinion brought 27 students to join them on a trip to the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, the weekend leading up to the influential vote; which was decided on Tuesday, Feb. 11. From the moment the bus arrived in New Hampshire, the students and Marist Poll staff were on the go. 

Friday, Feb. 7

The trip began on Friday, Feb. 7 with the intention to attend a watch party for the Democratic Debate at the Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. Ten minutes before arrival at the institute, Dr. Lee Mirningoff, the Director of the Institute for Public Opinion announced the students could attend the Debate live, but they would have to run. So, the students one by one left the bus they arrived in and ran to another shuttle bus to bring them to the site. They left their coats at coat check and went through security as fast as they could to get to the arena before the debate started.

Hannah Kirk ‘20, Megan Landgraf ‘20, and Harry Parette ‘21 at the Democratic Debate

The students were scattered throughout the arena, filling up any open seat they could. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend. I was placed in an open seat behind the moderators. While I could only see three of the candidates due to placement, I was close enough where at the end of the debate, I could go and briefly meet the candidates. I had the opportunity to speak and even take a photo with Former Vice President Joe Biden. 

“It was an entirely new experience being able to see the debate in person because I had only seen it on television. It is hard to believe sometimes that the candidates are people too, but seeing them in person changed that perspective,” said Samantha DaCruz ‘21. “Tom Steyer stayed after the debate to meet some of the audience. I was able to shake his hand, and that made him seem so human.”

Hannah Kirk with Former VP Joe Biden after the Democratic Debate

Saturday, Feb. 8

The group attended the 61st Annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner. There, the students were able to see and hear every single Presidential Candidate speak. Beneath where the students sat, where sections of the arena designated to New Hampshire residents that registered to attend the event through each of the candidate’s campaign. 

We were able to see how much support each of the candidates had. The top three candidates with the most attendees registered under their campaign were, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Bernie Sanders. 

Each candidate gave their “stump” speech, which is a short, standardized speech they drive home the candidate’s main points. Following the speech, some of the students walked around the stadium and even bumped into some candidates. 

“Not only was I able to hear from the candidates first-hand; I also had the incredible opportunity to meet and speak with several of them following the event and throughout the weekend,” said Catherine Gambeski ‘22. “Some of my favorite highlights included meeting with Senator Klobuchar, Mayor Pete, and Elizabeth Warren.”

Sunday, Feb. 9

Sunday was bar far the most event-filled day for the attendees. The 27 students were broken up into two teams, Team Lee, for Dr. Miringoff; and Team Barb, after Barbara Carvalho the Director of the Marist Poll. 

Team Barb attended the filming of FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace. Those students were able to see Mayor Pete Buttigieg being interviewed and saw a video interview done by Senator Sanders. Jay Silver ‘20 even had the opportunity to briefly speak with Buttigieg. 

“Meeting Pete Buttigieg was an incredible experience. As someone who’s supported him since the beginning of his campaign, it was incredible to meet him. He was very genuine, understanding and passionate about the issues he fights for,” said Silver. 

Wynn Erichson, the Assistant Manager of the Survey Center at the Marist Poll, attended the FOX filming. “It was a complete juxtaposition from the bright lights and the loud atmosphere of the national convention. It was interesting during the filming because while the filming was on a break, the men would cough while the women got their hair touched up,” Erichson said.

Marist Students on the set of FOX News Sunday (Photo Courtesy of Catherine Gambeski)

Meanwhile, Team Lee viewed the filming of Meet the Press with Chuck Todd for MSNBC. The students were able to see Mayor Pete and Senator Sanders be interviewed by Todd and the segment of discussion that followed between Todd and fellow correspondents and contributors. 

After the meeting, Senator Claire McCaskill and Todd were able to answer questions from the audience of students. “Meet the Press was a unique experience. I didn’t quite know what to expect from being in a live audience. I think, more than anything, that I came away with an understanding of how morning shows are produced than any political takeaways,” said Megan Landgraf ‘20. “We could not really hear the candidate’s interviews, but I appreciated that they took the time to greet us briefly after,” she continued.

Senator Bernie Sanders after his interview with Chuck Todd of “Meet the Press” (Photo Courtesy of Megan Landgraf)

After the filmings, Team Barb traveled to Concord, New Hampshire for an Elizabeth Warren Get out the Vote rally. After hours of standing, they were able to hear the Senator speak. 

Warren spoke of her aspirations for the United States, as well as the promises she was making to better the United States should she get the Democratic nomination and win the Presidency. 

However, what captivated the students more was that Warren’s dog Bailey was in attendance. During a rally, Warren was asked: “Who will be your Mike Pence, who will look at you with adoring eyes?” To which Warren responded, “I already have a dog.” 

Senator Warren’s dog Bailey (Photo Courtesy of Catherine Gambeski)

While Team Barb was at the Warren rally, Team Lee attended a rally for Senator Amy Klobuchar. Prior to this rally, Klobuchar was not polling the top three of the candidates. As it is known now, Klobuchar came in third for the New Hampshire Primaries. However, as mentioned, she was one of the candidates that spoke her stump speech. Unfortunately, at this point, the attendees of the Klobuchar rally heard that really twice before; once at the debate and once during the Shaheen Dinner. 

Marist Students snapped a photo with Senator Amy Klobuchar after her rally.

“I had low expectations for the Klobuchar rally going in, and I can’t say that she exceeded any of them. She gave the same speech we heard at the debate and the 100 Club Dinner. I suppose it was more of a learning experience about stump speeches and punchlines than anything else. I did enjoy her enthusiasm and willingness to greet her supporters and I can see how that makes her a likable candidate,” said Landgraf, who is also a New Hampshire resident.

“I think that part of her personality and the fact that she is a woman probably put her in third place, edging out former VP Joe Biden,” Landgraf said. “I’m not sure though how she will continue to do in a crowded field of moderates in more diverse states.”

To end the day on Sun., the two teams reunited for a Mayor Pete Buttigieg Get out the Vote rally. After waiting in line for over two hours, the group filed into a high school gymnasium with many Buttigief supporters. At this point, Mayor Pete had the most populated rally leading up to the NH primary vote. 

The first part of Mayor Pete’s rally consisted of him giving his stump speech. However, this speech veered away from the one he gave at the Shaheen dinner, compared to the other candidates. The second portion of the rally was him answering questions from the audience. 

Mayor and Presidential Candidate, Pete Buttigieg, as his rally in Salem, NH (Photo Courtesy of Hannah Kirk)

As an attendee, I enjoyed this portion because they were basic questions that many people were wondering that may not always come up. For example, a 14-year-old boy asked if Mayor Pete believes his young age will serve as an advantage or disadvantage. Mayor Pete responded that he thinks it will be an advantage, because the future this upcoming presidency will create, will be one that he will live a lot of and will be one that his children will be raised in. Therefore, he put himself more in line with his supporters with a ‘we are in this together’ attitude. 

Monday, Feb. 10

For the last day of the trip, students had the option of attending a President Trump rally or a Bernie Sanders rally. The group split up into approximately half for each of the rallies. 

Some of the students did not say anything when they declared they wanted to go to President Trump’s rally. Other students, however, stated that they wished to go out of curiosity. Therefore, the group attending the President’s rally was surely a mixture of beliefs. 

“It was a very mind-opening experience. I think it was important to see what the Republican party platform was there, given we had heard from most of the Democratic candidates throughout the trip,” said Meaghan Shea ‘22.

“As an independent, I found it interesting to compare both sides from a more moderate perspective. President Trump’s speech was exactly what I had expected, and given how invested his base is, their reactions were intense,” Shea continued. “I am not sure other candidates could match that sort of energy. Overall, it was interesting to witness how Trump appeals to his base.”

The Bernie rally also was a Strokes concert and featured various politicians and public figures before Bernie’s speech. Speakers included Senator Nina Turner and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Bernie’s rally was hosted at the Whittemore Center at the University of New Hampshire. The hockey arena was filled, including the floor which turned into a mosh pit during the concert. 

“The Bernie rally was incredibly inspiring and really showcased the energy and enthusiasm around his unprecedented grassroots campaign,” said Louis Higuera ‘20. “He had amazing surrogates like Nina Turner, Cynthia Nixon, and Cornel West that spoke of the power of love and unity...Bernie rally and concert?! What’s better? Definitely one of the most exciting and inspiring nights of my life.”

Tuesday, Feb. 11

On voting day, the 27 students met with the Marist Poll staff for breakfast one last time while discussing the weekend. Many of the students were sad that such an incredible weekend was coming to end, but most of the students were relieved that they could finally catch up on all the sleep they had missed. 

“Overall I really enjoyed the New Hampshire trip in its entirety. It was a very hands on experience and we had access to a lot of events, from campaign rallies to news studio sets. It was just really cool to be as up close and personal as we were to the most influential figures in our political landscape,” said Alexandria Watts ‘20. 

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic Primary, and go to the events leading up to one of the most influential votes for the Presidential Nomination Process. While the weekend was democratic in events, regardless of partisan alignment, it was an experience everyone could learn something from, and an incredible experience to have — one that certainly may not happen again.