Kucinich opens New Hampshire campaign office
Originally published at PoliticsNH.com
With apparent focus on Iowa, Kucinich opens New Hampshire office
By JAMES W. PINDELL
PoliticsNH.com
MANCHESTER, Aug. 11 - Three months after he opened up his Iowa state headquarters in Iowa, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich opened New Hampshire headquarters in Manchester Monday morning saying the timing "was not late, but right."
The office opening was the only public event on Kucinich's third trip to the state since announcing his White House intentions. He announced this White House bid in Iowa and has been there approximately 16 times since. Kucinich told the 90 supporters at the opening he planned to be in New Hampshire much more frequently and that he was building his campaign from West to the East. In fact, Kucinich aides say he will return to the state Aug. 22.
However, his focus on Iowa, which holds their first-in-the-nation caucuses a week before New Hampshire's primary, makes logical sense given the fact that Kucinich's message resonates more peace and labor activists. These groups make up major voting blocks in the Iowa precinct caucuses.
But when asked about the apparent focus on Iowa over New Hampshire, Kucinich said both states were equally important to him. Those in the New Hampshire that believe the in state's motto of "Live Free or Die", he said, would like the fact he wants to repeal the Patriot Act, a series of law that have been criticized as eroding civil liberties to combat terrorism.
The Kucinich campaign becomes the eighth to open a state headquarters. The last to do so was the Draft Clark 2004 campaign in July. The first campaign headquarters in the state opened in May.
In conjunction with the visit today a second staffer for Kucinich began. Ted Wells started as Merrimack Valley field director. He joins Trevor Elkins, the state director.
In his 10-minute speech to supporters Kucinich said he wanted to end the fear the United States abroad and cut the Department of Defense budget by 15 percent, or $60 billion. He would transfer this money into spending for social programs like education, he said. He also claimed these reductions would not compromise national security.
Kucinich, unlike his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, does not face the problem on how to distinguish himself from the pack with non-apologetic positions against the war in Iraq and being against free trade agreements, like the NAFTA.
"This campaign is the progressive alternative, the liberal alternative, the alternative that offers hope and a return to government of the people," Kucinich said.
He does, however, face a problem with name identification in the Granite State and support in polls. Consistently he has never polled higher than three percent in polls of New Hampshire Democrats.
The success of Howard Dean in the past year though gives Kucinich hope.
"We're right now at a point where certain people are considered to be front-runners, but some time ago they were considered to be dark horses," Kucinich told reporters. "So my campaign is going to emerge in a time to be competitive in these early primaries."
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