Republicans make last push to win New Hampshire voters

Jan 9, 2012, 18:23 GMT

Salem, New Hampshire - US Republican presidential hopefuls spent Monday working to win votes in the north-eastern state of New Hampshire, criss-crossing the state and shaking hands with voters at restaurants and townhall meetings.

The state holds the first true primary contest in the United States Tuesday, where voters will have their say in who they want to represent opposition Republicans in November's presidential election.

The contest here - along with caucuses in Iowa last week and primaries in South Carolina and Florida later this month - will narrow down the field of six major Republican candidates and allow the party faithful to settle on a nominee to face President Barack Obama.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of the neighbouring state of Massachusetts, is heavily favoured here with a lead of as much as 15 percentage points, according to recent opinion surveys.

He was to tour a manufacturing plant as part of his bid to tout his business credentials and argue he is best poised to challenge Obama in an election that is sure to be a referendum on the president's handling of the economy.

But the other candidates weren't ready to cede New Hampshire to Romney.

At a town hall meeting in the small town of Salem, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum argued that, unlike Romney, he would rally the party's conservative base and energize voters against Obama.

He also touted an economic plan he says is better positioned that rival Romney's to bolster US manufacturing and help the blue collar workers who have been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn.

Also out across the state were workers for Texas Congressman Ron Paul, waving signs on many street corners and spreading their message outside of other candidates' events.

Paul is in second place in the state and appeals to the state's historic mistrust of government with positions arguing for significantly less government and isolationism in foreign policy.

The goal of all involved was to sway any undecided voters, such as Ray and Pat Devone of nearby Derry.

At a Santorum rally, the couple said they had yet to settle on a candidate, but had narrowed their choices down to Santorum or former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, both of whom appeal to their socially conservative beliefs.

But no matter who they settle on, one thing is clear to the couple - they don't want Obama to serve another four years.

'This is a crisis time for the US and we don't want to see our current president back in office again,' Pat Devone said.