Could The Uncertainty In Iowa Affect New Hampshire Voters?

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a campaign event, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Derry, N.H.

Henry Santoro hosts midday newscasts on GBH Radio and contributes to breaking news coverage and other hosting duties for GBH’s daytime programming. Feedback? Questions? Story ideas? Reach out to Henry at henry_santoro@wgbh.org.

Saraya Wintersmith covers Boston City Hall for GBH News. Before that, she covered the Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan neighborhoods, focusing on how people live and the issues that shaped those communities. Prior to joining GBH News, Saraya worked as a statehouse reporter, producing radio and television stories for WCVE, now VPM, in Richmond, Va. Saraya lives in Dorchester and holds a journalism degree from Howard University.

February 07, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

Primary season in New Hampshire is now in full swing. Meanwhile, it was announced Thursday that the head of the Democratic National Committee has called for a full "recanvass" of the caucus votesin Iowa. WGBH Radio's Henry Santoro, in for Morning Edition host Joe Mathieu, spoke with WGBH News' Saraya Wintersmith, who is talking to voters in the Granite State about how that uncertainty might play into Tuesday's primary. This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Henry Santoro: What are people are the first-in-the-nation primary state saying about how things went down in Iowa?

Saraya Wintersmith: I'm sitting at the Red Arrow Diner [in Manchester, N.H.,] now, but I've been driving around and talking to folks in Manchester and everyone agrees what happened in Iowa is a complete mess in terms of takeaways. It's kind of mixed. A few voters that I've spoken with have suggested that the fellow first-in-the-nation state might be making New Hampshire look bad, and they're hoping that everything goes smoothly here next Tuesday so as not to raise questions about their status as the first primary state. And a few other voters that I've talked to are happy with the results they've been able to see so far.

Santoro: So are you getting the sense that people were looking for results from Iowa to help them decide how they're going to vote in New Hampshire?

Wintersmith: Surprisingly, Henry, no. The first-in-the-nation states, they typically vote late, we know. But everybody that I've talked to, every single person that I've talked to this morning, has said their decision wasn't going to be swayed one way or the other.

Santoro: So what is the mood like from where you are?

Wintersmith: Henry, I would describe it as anxious, maybe? As I've been driving around to a coffee shop, to this diner, to a laundromat, I've met several voters who admitted that they voted for [Donald] Trump and 2016 and said they felt ashamed or regretted their decision. And now they're just looking for somebody that will unseat him.

I want you to listen to this tape, too. I talked to a man in his 30s who's a naturalized U.S. citizen and says he'll be voting for the first time in this primary just because this election is too important:

"It is exciting," he says. "[At the same time, it's] nerve wracking, because a lot of Democrats don't want Trump to win. So a lot of my friends have been urging me to be participating in the process. Because I've been a U.S. citizen for like the last 25 years, and I've never voted. So [they] were like, 'You have to vote this time, man. This is important.' So that's why I've been kind of like, you know, watching the news a lot. And I'm a Democrat, so I'm gonna probably vote for whoever is nominated."

"This is going to be your first time?"

"Yeah, it's my first time," he says.

Santoro: You were also in Iowa just a few days ago, and now you're on the ground there in New Hampshire. What else are you looking for as you are talking to voters over the next couple of days?

Wintersmith: Henry, I'm really curious whether or not the proximity of some of the presidential candidates will play into how people vote here. Bernie Sanders is the senator in Vermont who had a big win last year. We've also got Deval Patrick and Elizabeth Warren out of Massachusetts. And I'm wondering if that name recognition or the closeness of it all makes people lean towards them a bit more.