McCain losing votes to Obama in N.H.

[BeyondGeography]

Nonaligned voters in New Hampshire have their pick of parties. This time around, they lean toward a Democrat.

By Maeve Reston and Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
December 30, 2007

NASHUA, N.H. -- Like many New Hampshire voters, Dave Montgomery considers himself a dyed-in-the-wool independent -- which in this state means he can vote in either the Republican or Democratic presidential primary when he goes to the polls Jan. 8. This year, the semi-retired school bus driver from Milford finds himself torn between two candidates, one from each party: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama of (D-Ill.).

Montgomery likes McCain, he said, because "he seems to be enough of a rebel." He likes Obama for pretty much the same reason -- because he seems to be "his own man."

...If Obama bests national front runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), he probably will owe his New Hampshire victory to independents, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll suggested last week. Among the state's registered Democrats, the survey found Clinton led Obama, 35% to 28%. But among independents who plan to vote in the Democratic primary, Obama led, 37% to 24% -- turning the contest into a virtual tie.

...The Times/Bloomberg poll found that among New Hampshire independents who have chosen the party primary in which they will cast a ballot, 61% said they planned to vote in the Democratic race, 39% in the GOP contest. And among those who have decided whom they will support, more than twice as many said they planned to back Obama, compared to McCain.

These voters include retiree Stephen Winship, 88, who plans to vote for Obama.Winship said he supported McCain eight years ago "because he was candid," but won't do so now, in part because he disagrees with him over the Iraq war. McCain "has a conservative frame of mind and military background, so I think he would very much like to see this succeed," Winship said. "I think we need to get out."

The Times/Bloomberg poll found that among New Hampshire independents who have chosen the party primary in which they will cast a ballot, 61% said they planned to vote in the Democratic race, 39% in the GOP contest. And among those who have decided whom they will support, more than twice as many said they planned to back Obama, compared to McCain.

These voters include retiree Stephen Winship, 88, who plans to vote for Obama.

Winship said he supported McCain eight years ago "because he was candid," but won't do so now, in part because he disagrees with him over the Iraq war. McCain "has a conservative frame of mind and military background, so I think he would very much like to see this succeed," Winship said. "I think we need to get out."

Winship's shift reflects a broader trend among New Hampshire independents: Over the last eight years, they have drifted to the left.

On major issues, the Times/Bloomberg poll found that the state's independents tended to agree with Democrats more than with Republicans. For instance, asked to name the issues they considered top priorities, independents most frequently cited Iraq, healthcare and the economy -- the same ones that dominated among Democrats. The state's Republicans, by contrast, cited illegal immigration and national security first, followed by the economy and Iraq...

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-independents30dec30,1,7800241.story?coll=la-politics-campaign

[MH1]

1. That's good news, even though it will probably be twisted here at DU

Just Friday someone mentioned to me that he finally registered Democrat and will vote in the Dem primary (not that the one here in PA will have any influence on the outcome), because he decided he was more closely aligned with the Democrats, and was tired of the Republicans.

After talking about Dem candidates for a few minutes (he hasn't made up his mind), he mentioned that if McCain gets the R nomination, then he might vote for him. In other words, he doesn't know how crazy and right wing McCain really is, because all he knows is the media myth that McCain is a maverick moderate and "straight-talker." (:puke:)

The point is this is an average middle class working guy with a family who always votes but isn't deep into politics like we are. I'll bet there are a bunch like him out there - and yes, we need their votes.

[babylonsister]

2. Great news! I hope every single ind. who voted (R) reconsiders

and thinks about what the R's have done to this country.