COMMENTARY | The New Hampshire primary is over, and the political circus is heading to South Carolina. After nearly a year of campaigning in the state, and a weeklong push after Iowa, things are quietly returning to normal in the Granite State.
Mitt Romney easily won the primary, as predicted by polling, by taking 39 percent of the vote. The Romney victory was considered a fait accompli by most political observers, the only question was how much was he going to win by. Romney maintains a home in New Hampshire and is a resident of neighboring Massachusetts. He is well known here, both politically and socially, and was expected to easily handle the Primary.
With Romney polling so high nationally, the early primaries and caucuses have become a race for second place, as GOP constituents continue to look for alternatives to Romney. In Iowa, Rick Santorum surged into second place but was not able to continue that momentum into New Hampshire. Santorum captured 9 percent of the vote, in a dead-heat tie for fourth with Newt Gingrich. Jon Huntsman, after deciding to not campaign in Iowa, staked his claim in New Hampshire, and surged to a third-place finish at 17 percent.
The disparity in the vote tally for the "Other Than Romney" candidates indicates a great divide in the GOP voting base. In a Washington Post exit poll, 35 percent of respondents indicated their greatest concern was voting for someone who can defeat President Barack Obama in the general election.
This indicates a candidate's stance on the issues is less important to the base than a victory in November; a very dangerous position. Instead of voting for the candidate they think can correct the hot button issues of the day (economy, jobs, health care, spending, deficit), GOP voters are focused more on removing an incumbent president. With this prevalent mindset, the partisan divide that has deadlocked Washington for the past two years is unlikely to be remedied any time soon. Continued deadlock in Congress will not benefit the nation regardless of who is sent to the White House in November.
The Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary often serve to winnow out the field of candidates. If candidates can't show well in the early states, it is unlikely they will be able to continue to fund campaigns in other states. Michele Bachmann bowed out of the race after a poor showing in Iowa. Rick Perry was only able to garner 1 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, but he decided to focus his efforts on South Carolina and did not campaign in New Hampshire.
It is unlikely any candidate will be exiting the race at this time. Instead, they will continue to South Carolina. Significantly conservative campaigns such as Santorum, Perry and Gingrich will test their support in the evangelical South before deciding whether or not they should continue their campaigns.
As the campaigns move south to South Carolina and Florida, New Hampshire residents will eagerly watch the results, knowing they have done their part, and had their say in the primary.
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