By Lillian Eden
BU News Service
Concord, N.H. — Senator Amy Klobuchar’s surprising success in New Hampshire means that she’s still in the running to be the Democratic nominee, the candidate declared.
“I cannot wait to bring our green bus around the country,” Klobuchar said on the stage of the Grappone Conference Center Tuesday night.
Although not all polling locations had reported yet, the Minnesota Senator was coming in third when she gave her remarks.
“It’s hopeful,” said Debora Pignatelli early in the evening when Klobuchar was doing well in the polls, with only 5% of polling locations reporting. The New Hampshire Executive Councilwoman for District Five hosted Klobuchar in her own home last year to introduce the Democratic hopeful to friends and neighbors.
Some attendees at the event admitted that they had made their decision to support Klobuchar quite recently.
Roy Schweiker was a registered Republican during the last primary, saying that he’s not loyal to a single party and makes his decision on a case by case basis.
“No party has a pure monopoly on good people,” he said.
Schweiker added that he believed Donald Trump would be hard to beat because “the economy is good.”
He praised Klobochar for her moderate views.
“We have a better chance of beating Trump from the middle,” he said.
Jed Merrow, a Concord voter, said that he made his decision last week.
“Amy just seems very Midwestern real. I liked her for her authenticity and consistency,” he said.
John Wallace’s vote was decided only two weeks ago.
“A lot of people I found engaging weren’t getting any traction.”
Karen Cornelius saw firsthand a last minute decision to support Klobuchar in Manchester when she spoke to a person at the polls that day.
“I said ‘When did you decide to vote for Amy?’, and she said ‘In the car on the way over here.’”
Cornelius has known Klobuchar since law school and praised early supporters of her bid for the Democratic nomination.
“I think Amy has great grassroots support here and the people who selected her early on are very committed,” she said. “I think it’s taken a long time for the polls to catch up with that.”
Tim Delouchrey and John Griffin of The Welcome Party drove up from Massachusetts to see Klobuchar in New Hampshire. The Welcome Party is a nonprofit working to bring more independent voters into the Democratic Party.
They praised Klobuchar’s ability to work across the aisle.
“The opposite of Trump is someone who keeps their head down and does the work,” Delouchrey said.
