Rubio Campaign Reaches Students

Senator Marco Rubio visited the Exeter Town Hall on Tuesday evening as a last-minute effort to win the support of voters before the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. After coming in third in the Iowa caucus, Rubio returned to the granite state with a heightened spirit.Jim Merrill, senior adviser of the Rubio campaign in New Hampshire and state director of a Manchester-based political consulting firm, introduced the Florida senator at the rally. Merrill served as the general consultant for Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.Merrill, who Rubio hired about a year ago, said that he endorsed Rubio early on in the race for the senator’s “awareness of the issues at hand and [his] politically conservative message that is motivating and inspiring.”“I looked at the candidates this year and I decided very early on that Rubio had the substance, story and skill,” Merrill said. “[His] story resonates with the people in a number of ways, and to me, it was a no-brainer from the start.”After Merrill’s introduction, Rubio walked into the town hall with a crowd bigger than that of Cruz. Due to the number of those who gathered to see Rubio, the event ran as standing rally.

“As crazy as it seems to say it, Rubio may be too normal or too moderate for the people of New Hampshire.”

Merrill noted the successful turnout. “I think it was great,” he said. “I do not think we could have fit another human being in there if we tried. Having a full house like that is what we need since it is the final week of the campaign.”“Making a final argument is something that we are looking forward to doing tonight and all through next Tuesday,” Merrill added.Upon his entrance, the Florida senator kicked off the event by introducing his wife Jeanette and children—Daniella, Dominik, Amanda and Anthony. Rubio’s language centered around family and the notion of protecting one’s family remained a constant element throughout the event.“I am against anything that is against my mom,” Rubio said during the rally.Rubio also offered room for lighthearted humor, unlike Cruz’s more straightforward and strictly political speech. The Florida senator showed off his more self deprecating side and joked about various topics such as “American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone” and “An American Son: A Memoir”—two of his books published 2015 and 2012. He also interacted with supportive hecklers by responding to their comments such as “let’s get the job done,” “Obama is the worst” and “Hillary for prison.”Those who attended the rally said that Rubio offered a genial, personable presence, one that distinguishes itself from Cruz’s more formal recent town hall meeting.Senior Audrey DeGuerrera said that she enjoyed Rubio’s humor throughout the event.“Rubio overall had a pretty good sense of humor, which I really appreciated,” DeGuerrera said. “I laughed out loud when he said one of the first things he would do as president would be to outlaw the game of Marco-Polo, which is obviously not true but funny nevertheless.”Nancy Stenson, resident of Danville, NH, echoed DeGuerrera’s sentiments.“He was absolutely fabulous,” Stenson said. “I loved what he had to say and his humor—there was an incredible energy in the room.”Senior Sean Taylor said that while he appreciated Rubio’s approachability, the lack of formality instead rendered him unimpressed.“Although I enjoyed Marco Rubio’s speech and his stage presence, I don’t think the event was as well-crafted as Ted Cruz’s event—for instance, Rubio entered the room, and stayed in front of a camera in the corner smiling and talking sporadically for about 15 minutes as everyone watched and waited for him,” Taylor said. “Cruz walked on the stage and instantly had the crowd excited.”DeGuerrera agreed with Taylor, noting the absence of a Q&A session and the senator’s less articulate speech. “On several occasions, Rubio fumbled his words and therefore lost some of the impact of his message. Rubio also did not take questions from the audience, which was surprising, although I doubt that he could have answered them as sharply as Cruz,” she said.Apart from Rubio’s manner during the rally, gatherers responded to Rubio’s policies with mixed sentiments.Stenson said that Rubio’s awareness of the interplay between foreign affairs and national politics, as well as his focus on national security, secured her vote. “I think he is right on the money as far as what the issues are and in terms of national security and foreign policy,” Stenson said. “I do not think there is a candidate with a better knowledge of the foreign affairs, geography, history and threats that exist with ISIS terrorism.”“That’s the one big issue for me and I think that [Rubio] nails it.” she said.DeGuerrera said that she finds Rubio more appealing for his moderate conservatism. “He is more of a moderate conservative than Cruz or Trump, which I find appealing.”However, DeGuerrera said that although she is attracted to a less extremist mindset of Rubio, the senator’s chances of winning the New Hampshire primary might be slim.“As crazy as it seems to say it, Rubio may be too normal or too moderate for the people of New Hampshire,” she said.Taylor agreed and noted Rubio’s current standing in the New Hampshire race.“The main challenge Rubio would face coming into the New Hampshire primary is his current standing in the polls. Now, polls aren’t usually a reliable indicator of actual election results, but even so, he’s fighting an uphill battle against Donald Trump, who has a huge lead right now over the rest of the candidates,” Taylor said. “Rubio now sits at 4th behind Trump, Cruz and Kasich in New Hampshire, but it’ll be interesting to see how the actual results pan out.”Stenson said that Rubio will succeed in the primary as long as he continues to solidify his support in the granite state.“If he keeps the way he is going, I think he is going to be fine. [Though] Trump has made some inroads [because of] angry people who seem to be leaning toward [him]...anger is not going to get a man in the White House. And if we nominate somebody who cannot beat a Democrat, we are nowhere.”“And I think [Rubio] can get it done,” Stenson said.Merrill acknowledged the work that is left to do for the Rubio campaign team. He said that success in the New Hampshire primary will not yield itself without the proper effort.“We have a great candidate with a great message and we are encouraged by the folks who are flocking to our campaign and the momentum we feel right now,” Merrill said. “In New Hampshire you’ve got to earn it—you’ve got to earn every vote one by one and that’s what we’re doing here tonight and all the way through Tuesday.”Merrill continued. “Iowa yielded a great result for us last night, but the truth is we have more work to do here and that is what we are looking to do.”