Senator Ted Cruz is the Victor
in the Grassroots Presidential Selection Caucus.
Dr. Ben Carson was in 2nd place, and Carly Fiorina was 3rd.
Two days ago we witnessed an historic event in New Hampshire — the first-ever New Hampshire Grassroots Caucus for Presidential Candidates. Over 750 grassroots activists filled the barn-like Durgin Arena at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds to make their voices heard loud and clear. The energy was high and the excitement contagious.
Those of you who were there will always remember this important day, and we thank you for your participation. It was a wonderful demonstration of grassroots politics in its truest form.
For those of you who were unable to be there, here’s a quick review:
All of the 16 Presidential candidates were contacted with caucus information and were invited to attend, or to send surrogates to represent them, or to send a video clip which would be played at the beginning of the caucus. Those who engaged were rewarded by having supporters there to represent them. Some chose not to engage.
The early morning hours saw numerous events on the grounds outside the arena — tents were put up, food was available, and rallies were held. Inside the arena the Bittersweet Band played and kept the energy going.
There was a bustle of activity as the check-in crew made final preparations. At 10 o’clock the doors opened for voters to begin the check-in. Once through the process, they were given a wristband to prove that they were bona fide voters.
By 11:30 everyone had been processed and the voters took their seats in the stands reserved for the candidate of their choice.
The Marshals for the caucus, non-voting volunteers from neighboring states of MA, VT, and ME, were ready to assume their duties.
These 20 disciplined volunteers were diligent in the execution of their jobs — much like a choreographed ballet. Their participation assured that things ran smoothly.
The Master of Ceremonies, Jeff Chidester,
read the Caucus Rules to the assembled crowd and reminded them of the purpose of the caucus. The only candidate to attend, Senator Ted Cruz, then spoke to the voters, followed by surrogate speakers for Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, and Ben Carson.
Trevor Loudon spoke next and inspired everyone with his meaningful message — reminding us of our duty to uphold the principles of our Founding Fathers and to elect a president who could restore Constitutional principles to our government.
The first vote was called for and those candidates who did not have any supporters in their sections were declared removed from the caucus. These were: Bush, Christie, Everson, Gilmore, Graham, Huckabee, Pataki, and Santorum.
Next, those with fewer than 25 supporters (votes) were declared eliminated from the caucus. These were: Jindal, Kasich, Paul, Rubio, and Trump.
That left only 3 remaining — Carson, Cruz, and Fiorina.
Those whose candidates had been eliminated were asked to find another group to join, from the 3 still standing. At this point there was much good-natured cajoling from the Carson, Cruz, and Fiorina camps to encourage the voters from the 5 eliminated to join them. Much cheering and chanting was heard from the hall.
Finally the caucus time was expired and the chime sounded, and there was another vote taken. The results were that Carson and Cruz had the highest numbers, and Fiorina’s supporters had to find new camps.
After one more round of votes, it was determined that Senator Cruz was the victor. Again, much cheering.
It should be noted that most of the participants of the caucus did, in fact, follow the rules of the caucus and did assimilate into other groups when their candidate was eliminated.
Jeff Chidester introduced Fran Wendelboe to make the final remarks and to announce the winner. Fran reminded everyone of our need to unite, and announced that all of the 603 Alliance Team would be supporting the winner of the Caucus, as had been pledged.
We thank all of you for your part in this important caucus and ask that you continue to support the 603 Alliance. Please send us your comments and suggestions. We will keep you posted on the next steps as we continue to address our goals.
Photo Credit Linwood Wicket