For the 2016 presidential candidates, this Fourth of July weekend means a whole lot of barbeques, parades and fireworks — and, of course, courting voters.
Around a dozen declared White House aspirants parachuted into the early primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa on Saturday to participate in a range of festivities, including marching in town parades and mingling with voters at cook-outs and house parties.
The patriotic national holiday has long been an important opportunity for White House aspirants to woo early state voters, many of whom are still months away from deciding who they will support to be the next President.
Here in this northern New Hampshire town, residents are eagerly anticipating one of the best-known national political celebrities to walk in their afternoon parade: Hillary Clinton.
“I am a little surprised that she’s coming all the way up to Gorham, but I think it’s pretty cool,” said Carl Herz, 28, from the nearby town of Randolph.
A Democrat, Herz said he is likely to support Clinton but has been impressed with the message of one of Clinton’s Democratic opponents: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“I like what Bernie Sanders is all about, but I kind of feel like if he won the primary, he’d be unelectable because he’s a little bit too radical,” Herz said. “I just think Hillary is more electable.”
As a part of her fourth visit to the state since launching her campaign, the Democratic frontrunner and former secretary of state has faced questions about Sanders’ growing momentum, particularly following a recent rally in Wisconsin that drew close to 10,000 supporters.
During a visit to a local ice cream store near Hanover on Friday, Clinton played down questions about her former colleague in the Senate, saying: “We each run our own campaigns, and I always knew this was going to be competitive.”
A number of other candidates fanned out across the state to do their own July 4th campaigning.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham are spending time in Amherst, and Bush and Perry are expected to head over to the nearby town of Merrimack later in the day.
Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who launched his White House bid on Tuesday — are in Wolfeboro. In fact, the two rivals spent Friday night at the lake home of 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
The large group of GOP candidates this cycle are actively seeking to win the support of not only Romney — who has indicated he may not make an official endorsement in the primary — but some of Romney’s major donors from 2012, as well.
Christie told reporters Friday that it was too early for 2016 candidates to be thinking about endorsements from national GOP figures like Romney, and praised the former Massachusetts governor for being a ready “resource” for the party.
“What matters most to me is he’s a resource for me, and he is. He always takes my calls, lets me use him as a sounding board,” Christie said. “I consider him a really good friend.”
Judd Gregg, the former Republican New Hampshire senator and governor, said the July Fourth weekend is an important opportunity for candidates to introduce themselves to undecided voters in early primary states.
“People aren’t going to make up their minds by how somebody marches in a parade, but they will say, ‘This guy wants it and he’s trying and he’s coming to New Hampshire to show he’s trying,'” Gregg told CNN. “So it’s part of establishing your bona fides, showing you’re willing to go out and meet the voters and be available, which is a big part of the New Hampshire primary.”