Published: 7/23/2019 8:15:28 AM
In the 1970s, when I was assistant minority leader (representing Nashua) in the N.H. House of Representatives, the presidential candidates would come to my living room and beg for a crumb of my attention. These days I am just another member of the general public. I am now a resident of Massachusetts and sorely miss the extraordinary opportunity New Hampshire citizens have to meet candidates “up close and personal.” Unlike in Massachusetts, where I am asked to contribute $1,000 to someone I’ve never met, in New Hampshire all of us get to meet the candidates for free and then decide how to invest.
Critics will say the New Hampshire primary is ridiculous. The people are not representative of the country. The state may not be demographically representative of the rest of the nation, but I would disagree with these naysayers. A well-informed citizenry voting is not a bad way to start off the presidential election. I urge each and every one of you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to judge the candidates.
RUTH NEMZOFF
Brookline, Mass.