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 News from Around the Americas | June 2007 
Clinton In the Lead (Unless Gore Runs?); McCain, Giuliani Slip in GOP Survey
 The Union Leader
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| | Al Gore smiles at a news conference to introduce a "7 Point Pledge" in conjunction with the Live Earth Concerts in New York, June 28, 2007. The July 7, 2007 Live Earth concert will take place simultaneously on seven continents and is designed to be a call to action for climate change. (Reuters/Jeff Zelevansky) |
Boston - A New Hampshire presidential poll by WHDH-TV and Suffolk University shows that local Democrats prefer Al Gore to any of the current contenders.
Hillary Clinton has a solid lead over the rest of the current Democratic field. The poll, released this afternoon, shows 37 percent of likely Democratic voters backing Clinton or leaning towards her. Barack Obama was at 19 percent, with both John Edwards and Bill Richardson at 9 percent.
Al Gore, however, could enter the race as the leader. When his name is added, Clinton loses more than a quarter of her support, while Gore is backed by 32 percent.
Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani lead the GOP field. The former Massachusetts governor is supported by 26 percent of likely GOP voters, with Giuliani slipping to 22 percent. John McCain and Fred Thompson are both at 13 percent, a major move backwards for McCain. Romney's support, which relies heavily on younger voters, is up 7 percent from a comparable poll in March, when he trailed Giuliani (37 percent) and McCain (27 percent).
The poll, which has a 4.4 percent margin of error, surveyed 500 likely voters from June 20 to 24.
Richardson Hones in on Hispanics
Meg Heckman - Concord Monitor
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New Hampshire has one of the smallest Hispanic populations in the nation, but Bill Richardson hopes his Mexican roots will help him build support for his presidential campaign in New Hampshire's southern cities.
His campaign's steering committee includes prominent members of Latino communities in Manchester, Nashua and Concord. Although Richardson's family tree piqued their curiosity, supporters say his resume and personality made them stick around.
"He's by far the most qualified person for the job," said Ron Abramson, a Concord lawyer who is Hispanic. "One on one, he's as good as a candidate can be."
Richardson was born in California and grew up in Mexico City, where his parents raised him to embrace both American and Mexican cultures.
On the campaign trail, he speaks about issues he sees as important to Hispanics, such as education and entrepreneurship. He invited former Red Sox great Luis Tiant, a popular Cuban pitcher, to campaign for him in New Hampshire and, on a campaign trip this spring, chatted up the owners of a Manchester Mexican restaurant - in Spanish.
"I feel New Hampshire is warming up," he said in a telephone interview last week. "I realize that the Hispanic community growing in New Hampshire, so I want to organize it, but I want to appeal to all New Hampshirites."
New Hampshire's Hispanic population hovers around 1 percent in nine counties, according to 2005 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
It's denser in Hillsborough County, where 4.2 percent of the population, or roughly 16,600 people, classify themselves as Hispanic or Latino.
The terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" represent a group that, according to the Census Bureau, includes people of all races whose ancestors may come from many countries.
Nationally, they tend to lean toward the Democratic Party. There's little data available on the voting patterns of Latinos from the Granite State.
In at least one case, Richardson's appeal crossed party lines. Carlos Gonzales, a Republican and former Manchester state representative, may take a Democratic ballot in the primary to support Richardson.
He "speaks louder than words about what the United States is about," said Gonzales, who was born in the Dominican Republic. "I haven't moved away from my Republican beliefs, but in politics, just like in any decisions that you make, you do things on a personal basis. I will not necessarily change my leanings, but for the primary, he's the person to take a look at."
Primary watchers say Richardson will be hard put to break out of the crowd of Democrats whom pollsters have lumped somewhere behind Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. He's made fewer trips to New Hampshire this year than many other candidates, and he remains an unknown to many voters in the state.
Dante Scala, a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire, said it will be a "big if" whether Richardson captures the bulk of the state's Hispanic vote, in part because of his last name. Voters who have not paid close attention might miss his background, Scala said.
Hispanics, he said, must be "courted as much as anyone else, especially considering that Richardson is such a new face." |
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