Bending all willing ears, GOP hopefuls mass in N.H.

By Jill Zuckman, Globe Staff, May 2, 1999

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- John Kasich went fly-fishing in Franklin. Lamar Alexander knocked on doors in Bedford, delivering videotapes of himself. And Bob Smith hopped from Hollis to Newmarket and Portsmouth to Derry in a quest to speak to as many voters as possible.

It was all in a day's campaigning yesterday as Republican candidates for president began massing here for tonight's party kickoff dinner, a chance to persuade political activists to sign on to their teams.

There is a notable absence this weekend. But that candidate, Texas Governor George W. Bush, has already made headway picking up volunteers and commitments, even though he has not yet visited the state.

In Lebanon, for example, many Republicans decided to skip the recent party fund-raising dinner featuring John McCain because they already had decided on a candidate.

"A lot of old-line Republicans didn't want to come because they had made up their mind that they were going to be Bush people if and when he decided to come to the state," said Bill Conner, chairman of the Lebanon Republican Committee.

Gordon MacDonald, Dan Quayle's New Hampshire adviser, said it is not uncommon in the quest for support to find people who already have chosen the Texas governor.

"We have talked to people who are looking at Bush, or who have decided to go to Bush," he said, adding that Quayle also is competing for support among the more conservative candidates.

"There are still people who are out there and undecided," MacDonald said. "You often hear, 'You're one of three people or you're one of four people.' You sort of take it from there."

The nation's first primary here is still about 10 months away, but the battle for activists who will volunteer their time on a campaign is already especially intense.

"It must be frustrating for candidates and their supporters to be watching this when [Bush] hasn't done anything," said David M. Carney, a veteran Republican strategist who is unaligned in the 2000 race. "I can see the frustration. But New Hampshire has taken front-runners and shredded them before, and they'll do it again if Bush doesn't deliver."

That is something that McCain, the Arizona senator, knows first-hand.

"I congratulate Governor Bush in doing a good job in New Hampshire and other states," said McCain, who is not attending tonight's dinner because it is his son's 13th birthday. "It doesn't bother us very much. I can recall previous campaigns where the person who had the most endorsements didn't win the primary."

In 1996, McCain watched voters here humiliate Bob Dole with a second-place finish behind Patrick J. Buchanan, even though Dole had received more endorsements and public commitments of support than any other candidate.

Alexander, the former Tennessee governor, is eyeing Bush's surge with some skepticism. The compressed primary schedule, he said, will make it more dangerous for front-runners who stumble and will boost insurgent candidates who do well in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"I give Governor Bush credit," he said. "He's winning the preseason with money and endorsements, and he's creating great expectations for himself. I hope to do well in the regular season."

Kasich, the Ohio congressman, said he believes there is no substitute for frequent visits to the state. He acknowledges that he has no qualms about begging for support. So far, he has been to 12 coffee gatherings, 10 Republican Party events, and five Main Street walks.

"Of course, if you don't have anything to say or they don't like you, frequency can't make up for it," Kasich said.