Reporters, politicians are flooding into New Hampshire this week for Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Journalists waited outside this church in Manchester to interview parishioners after Sunday Mass.
MANCHESTER, N.H., Jan. 12, 2012 — Inside the St. Anne-St. Augustin Roman Catholic church, it’s time for Sunday Mass. But outside on the street, journalists are waiting to interview potential voters as they exit the chapel.
Fifteen-year-old Nathan Bailey says all the out-of-towners who come here once every four years don’t really appreciate New Hampshire’s uniqueness.
“They’re not really looking for the culture from up here – like the ‘New Hampsha’ – but they’re more looking for what they’re used to,” Nathan said.
And what, exactly, is “New Hampsha?”
“Well we have our little accent up here and I guess people look at us as kind of rednecks.”
But other New Hampshirites say they enjoy the political media circus because it provides at least some excitement in a long, cold winter.
This story was co-published with public radio station WAMU.
