Trump's allegedly falling behind on the ground-game in Iowa, and now in New Hampshire, he leads the polls despite a light presence. Trump's campaign is a major test of established models of presidential campaigning.
And at the Wall Street Journal, "In a state that values retail politics, the Republican presidential front-runner maintains his lead despite few visits":
BERLIN, N.H.—New Hampshire voters take their first-in-the-nation primary very seriously, ribbing their early-voting compatriots in the Midwest with the expression, “In Iowa, they pick corn. Here, we pick presidents.”More.
But now, the success of Donald Trump, who has topped polls of Republicans here for nearly five straight months, is unnerving those who cherish the small state’s tradition of shoe-leather campaigns, with candidates trekking from bingo hall to barnyard to answer policy questions from voters face to face.
The New York businessman has held only 23 events in the state this year, according to the New England Cable News candidate tracker—even fewer than former rivals Scott Walker and Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race during September.
“The entire justification for New Hampshire being the first in the nation is that you can meet people one on one,” said Drew Cline, former editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper. “If New Hampshire goes for Trump, who is connecting with voters via debates and celebrity status, it is potentially fatal,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s popularity in New Hampshire reflects the decades-long trend away from state-by-state ground games and toward a national, media-driven presidential campaign. This year, the daily grind of the campaign trail has been overshadowed by record-setting debate audiences, the expanding reach of social media (Mr. Trump has 5.4 million Twitter followers) and the sheer size of the field, making it harder for voters to check out all the candidates before the Feb. 9 primary.
Mr. Trump can reach twice the population of New Hampshire by simply calling, as he did this past Sunday, into NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which traditionally conducts in-studio interviews of major guests.
Corey Lewandowski, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, said he has “seen tens of thousands of New Hampshire residents on his numerous trips” and will return next week. His campaign Tuesday announced the appointment of 200 volunteer “town chairs” in communities throughout the state.
“Mr. Trump loves the people of New Hampshire and they love him, as is indicated by every poll that shows he is the clear front-runner,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s critics dismiss his enduring lead in the polls, pointing to a history of late decision-making in a state that lets voters register to vote on Election Day. Forty-six percent of the voters in the 2012 New Hampshire GOP primary—held early on Jan. 10—said they made their decision that day or in the past few days, according to exit polling.
New Hampshire has traditionally rewarded Republican candidates who hunker down in the frigid weeks leading up to its primary. Most recently, that was 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, who conveniently owned a vacation home in the state, and 2008 nominee John McCain, who staged a comeback from here after his campaign verged on collapse...
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