Mamaroneck High School Reporters Making Sense of the NH Primary
This was the scene late Saturday night in our Concord hotel “press room.” Having left our high school parking lot in New York before 7am, and having spread out across the campaign offices, canvassing operations, and political rallies in Central New Hampshire all afternoon, and finally having gained access to a behind-the-scenes look at The New York Times coverage of the Republican debate in the evening, our student reporters were understandably running on empty. However, with the fumes left in the tank our 20-odd reporters pounded out the stories of the day at the (five times-extended) “deadline”. Only a quick glance in the room would be sufficient to tell this story: young people having the time of their lives, fired up to take on the role of journalist or politico in a presidential campaign.
Sometimes the gulf between the red states and blue states in this country isn’t as defining as the one between swing states and safe states. Growing up in New York, our Mamaroneck High School Students have only witnessed the political circus of recent national elections from a distance; unlike residents of Ohio, Colorado, or North Carolina, New Yorkers do not see political advertisements on the television, do not receive numerous calls from pollsters and campaign workers, do not play host to large rallies or meet-and-greet pancake breakfasts with the candidates. In this way, Mamaroneck, NY could not be further away from Manchester, NH, which is not only located in a “swing state”, but plays host to the nation’s first primary. With the state’s small population and limited size, New Hampshirites are immersed in presidential elections in a way that is unimaginable to New Yorkers.
That’s why this four day field trip to the NH Primary is such an eye-opening experience for our students. They get the charge that comes from truly participating in the democratic process in a hands-on, immediate way, and learn that-in states like NH, anyway-candidates really are fighting for every single vote. With our electoral college system, citizens in states like NY can often feel left out of the race, making the four and a half hour bus ride north well worth the effort.
