New Hampshire campaign for activists in high gear

By Jill Zuckman, Globe Staff, January 17, 1999

CONCORD, N.H. -- Christine Miller is a political activist with serious credentials. She cut her teeth with Jimmy Carter in 1976. She organized four counties for Michael Dukakis in 1988. And she chaired this city's Democratic Party for two years.

"I have lists," Miller said, with just a trace of bravado.

That's why Miller, and several hundred others like her around the state, are the focus of a heated competition. Of the dozen or so potential Democratic and Republican candidates for president, each one needs an army of volunteers to compete in the 2000 New Hampshire primary.

The candidates send birthday cards, visit frequently, ask for advice, and generally try to flatter their way into these activists' hearts.

In return, people who decide to support a candidate actively host coffees in their homes so their friends and neighbors can meet the politician. They escort the candidate to political events, they call and write to other voters, and they get out the vote on Election Day. Many times, a New Hampshire activist can help a politician navigate the peculiar byways and biases of the state.

One year before the contest, most Republican players are waiting to see who is going to run for president before they commit to any of the candidates. The possible entry of Texas Governor George W. Bush and former Red Cross director Elizabeth Dole has effectively frozen the field.

On the Democratic side, most of the state's elected officials and party leaders have committed to Vice President Al Gore, although there is a subtle buzz for Bill Bradley, the former New Jersey senator. And Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry has one grass-roots activist publicly supporting him -- Rockingham County Democratic chairman Bill Verge.

Organization is one of three important planks in any successful New Hampshire presidential effort. The other two: money and a message. A strong organization with skilled activists in each of the state's 10 counties can give a candidate a boost in the beginning and at the end of a campaign.

"You need the organization to make yourself credible," said Senator Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican who praises Lamar Alexander for being far ahead of the pack in attracting prime players. (Gregg himself is uncommitted.)

And after obtaining initial credibility, an organization can make the difference between winning and losing by a few hundred votes, said Thomas D. Rath, an attorney and a major Republican figure here.

"At the end of the day, when there's snow and freezing rain and it's 27 degrees and turnout is smaller than expected, you need to have the organization to pull it out for you," said Rath, an attorney who is marshaling Alexander's forces and helping to devise his strategy.

Bill Zeliff is just the sort of person any Republican candidate longs to snag. Like Christine Miller, he is a party leader with lists. He is also a lobbyist and former member of Congress from Jackson, up in the White Mountains, and took two years off from running his Christmas Farm Inn to help George Bush win the primary in 1988. In 1996, Zeliff worked for Bob Dole, although the then-Senate majority leader struggled for a second-place finish.

Right now, Zeliff is taking a wait-and-see approach.

"We don't know who is going to be in the field at this point," he said. Bush has yet to arrive on the scene, though he and his father have sent greetings through a friend. There is excitement about Elizabeth Dole, but no phone calls, he said.

"I want to play all of it out," Zeliff said. "And whoever you pick, you want to pick a winner. And then it's nice to have your calls returned by the White House."

Among Democrats, the situation is almost completely the opposite. Gore has locked up scores of state representatives, senators, county commissioners, mayors, and aldermen. He's even got the registrar of deeds in Strafford County, Leo Lessard, according to Joe Keefe, a businessman who is the top Gore organizer in the state.

The vice president has assembled his supporters through constant attention, which is expected to last through Election Day. He calls, he visits, he sends gifts of federal grants, as well as invitations to Washington. Anyone elected to just about any office in the state received a congratulatory phone call from Gore the day after the election.

And sometimes he calls just to chat. That was the case back in July 1977 with Miller, a psychotherapist and political activist. She was home with her daughter waiting to hear from the veterinarian to find out if a horse they wanted to buy was in good shape.

When the phone rang, both Miller and her daughter, Elizabeth Miller Brown, picked up on the line. Instead of the vet, it was Gore. When he heard about the suspenseful situation, he began to talk to Elizabeth about horses, and asked if she had picked out a name.

"She said she just didn't know what to name him and he said, 'Well, the Pathfinder rockets are supposed to land on Mars tomorrow. If the rocket and the horse both make it, why don't you name it Pathfinder?' " Miller recalled.

Her daughter loved the idea, and today, the chestnut-colored quarterhorse is named Pathfinder.

Up until that moment, Miller said she really did not know Gore, other than to shake his hand.

"We were just endeared to him by this charming and down-to-earth and just person-to-person conversation he had with our daughter," said Miller, who is supporting Gore along with her husband, Michael Brown.

Besides Gore, the other potential Democratic candidates have little by way of organization. But a few activists are still in play.

Jim Demers, a Concord lobbyist, is supporting Richard A. Gephardt, the House Democratic leader. However, most people believe Gephardt will not run for president, and that has made Demers a very popular man with Bradley and Gore.

Jim Monahan is also getting a lot of attention these days. He is a longtime supporter of Bob Kerrey, the Nebraska senator who recently decided not to run. "I'm a lost soul looking for a candidate," said Monahan, another Concord lobbyist active in Democratic politics.

Although Gore has picked up most of the big names around the state, there are stirrings here for Bradley. Lee Nyquist, a Manchester attorney, recently hosted a meeting for people interested in the former Knicks basketball star. About two-dozen people have signed on, according to Bradley's staff, including Steve DeStefano, a former candidate for the state Senate from Bow, and Deb Merritt, a former state representative from Strafford County.

Bradley is expected to unveil a list of supporters when he visits the state at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Kerry has made no efforts to organize in New Hampshire while he decides whether to mount a presidential campaign. Nevertheless, he said he does not think it is too late to start.

"Are a lot of people in the regular chain of command spoken for? The answer is yes," Kerry said. "That means you have 100 votes; you still need 49,000 more."

And there is history to remember. Former Vice President Walter Mondale racked up all the big-name political leaders here in 1984, only to lose to Gary Hart. Bob Dole had top Republican officials on his side, and he lost to Patrick J. Buchanan in 1996.

"If you don't have something to say, you can be here for 10 years and it won't matter," said Dave Carney, a Republican political consultant who worked for Dole and recently returned from Texas, where he ran the lieutenant governor's race.