The Granite State saw a gathering of Republican presidential hopefuls this weekend as candidates met in Nashua to hold forums, give talks and answer questions at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee’s “First in the Nation” forum
Described by some as an “audition,” the 19 prospects hope to sway listeners and strengthen their platform over the weekend. A strong performance at such gatherings can vault an aspirant into the first tier of presidential candidates.
The current top contenders are Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Marco Rubio of Florida. All three formally began their campaigns in the past month, and the New Jersey showing could confirm them as front-rank candidates.
Other potentials include Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal, and Carly Fiorina.
Since Rubio announced his candidacy, ties with his mentor and political ally Jeb Bush are showing signs of fraying. The men have avoided criticizing each other in public, but Bush supporters have quietly started spreading negative information about Rubio’s record.
“Sparks are going to fly,” said Al Cardenas, a Bush adviser who is also close to Rubio. “For the first time in our country’s history you’ve got two guys from the same town in the same state from same party running in the same primary.”
Bush is a member of one of the most powerful political families in America, whereas Rubio is the son of modest Cuban immigrants. Though the men are still friends, Rubio speaks of the need to break with ideas from the last century, and Bush questions whether Rubio’s more modest political experience in the Senate can prepare him for the presidency.
Rubio’s announcement of his own presidential campaign broke with his expected deference to Bush’s anticipated declaration for a run at the White House. “Rubio was expected to defer to Bush again in the 2016 presidential contest once Bush began preparing for the race,” reported AP News. “Instead, Rubio this past week announced his own presidential campaign in their hometown, insisting the stakes were too high for him to ‘wait his turn.’ Bush has not declared his candidacy but is expected to.”
While Rubio’s team has not responded to any negative statements from the Bush side, he has received support from billionaire businessman Norman Braman. “We have to look for the future,” Braman told CNN this past week in a round of interviews. “We have to go beyond the Bushes. We have to go beyond the Clintons.” He added: “We’re not a country that believes in dynasties.”
The status of other candidates may be discerned by such details as room size. “Walker speech will be in smaller room than main ballroom where others are speaking. Capacity will be 120, down from 500,” tweeted Matthew DeFour of the Wisconsin State Journal.
Rand Paul was creating a buzz with his Reagan-esque stand. “Rand Paul riffing on Bill of Rights/civil forfeiture. Part tutorial, part campaign speech. Pretty effective,” tweeted reporter Stephen Hayes.
Politico reporter James Hohmann added a quote from Rand Paul: “I think a lot of the jobs that were created in the ’90s were created because of the policies of Reagan in the ’80s.”
The conference will continue through Saturday, concluding with an evening social hosted by Manchester City Republican Committee.
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