PETERBOROUGH, NEW HAMPSHIRE Live free or die!
So goes the boldly defiant motto of the state of New Hampshire.
The death is hardly that of a 24-year-old newly graduated therapist by Morgan Leger in mind, but freedom is.
Right now – as the world watches the US primaries – that freedom is political in nature.
– I am politically uncommitted because I don’t want either party to own me. I want to maintain the freedom to define what I think and what I believe, says Leger in an interview with in a cafe on the main street of the small town of Peterborough.
Four years ago, Leger voted Joe Biden. But he was disappointed with the current president.
Now he has steered the course to the right, in the direction of the Republicans.
– It is not a problem for me to switch parties back and forth. It all comes down to what I think is the best option for our nation.
“He has stayed out of the political madness”
In New Hampshire, officially unaffiliated voters are allowed to participate in the Republican primary.
Leger has not yet decided for sure who he will vote for in Tuesday’s primary, but he is considering former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as the best option.
– He is straightforward and honest. She has also stayed out of all the political madness in the United States, says Leger, who has listened to Haley’s campaign speech just moments before the interview.
– I don’t usually make decisions based on gender, but at least it doesn’t hurt that she is a woman, Leger says.
The high age of some candidates also worries Leger.
Joe Biden’s fragile nature has been discussed for a long time, and recently as well Donald Trump has shown signs of cracking.
On Friday, Trump spoke at length about Nikki Haley, although he was referring to the former speaker of the House of Representatives, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
– It is probably not tactless to say that at a certain age cognitive ability declines. In my opinion, 80 years is already an uncomfortably old age, says Leger.
However, there is a high probability that Trump, 77, and Biden, 81, will face each other in the presidential election.
– Choosing between those two would be really difficult. I would have to consider it very carefully. I hope we don’t get into that situation.
Nikki Haley is now Trump’s only challenger
Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis threw in the towel on Sunday and dropped out of the presidential race after finding himself in a hopeless situation after a disappointing Iowa primary.
Nikki Haley is now the only challenger to Donald Trump still standing.
If Haley wants to beat Trump somewhere, it will have to happen in New Hampshire, where the electorate is significantly more moderate than, say, Iowa.
– In Iowa, a large number of voters go to church every week, in New Hampshire very few do, says the professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire Dante Scala.
– In Iowa, voters want the candidates to talk about abortion, while in New Hampshire they don’t want to hear a word of it, he continues.
Another peculiarity of New Hampshire is that, like Morgan Leger, about 40 percent of the voters are unaffiliated.
– The uncommitted are a larger group of voters than both Democrats and Republicans, Scala says.
On Tuesday, Nikki Haley will need the support of those voters. Without non-committals, he has no chance.
– The more lively the non-aligned vote, the better for Haley. His problem is that the Republicans have turned their backs on him, says Dante Scala.
Scala estimates that if only Republicans were allowed to vote, Trump would get 70-75 percent of the vote.
– If Haley is going to close the gap, it has to happen with the help of unaffiliated voters.
According to Scala, Haley’s problem is that the unattached don’t always get fired up by primaries.
Expert: Haley’s chances of winning are very slim
Nikki Haley’s recent public appearances have made her realize the difficult task ahead of her.
Haley has intensified her attacks on Trump in recent days. Among other things, he has accused the former president of courting dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un with.
Many experts have said that this change is too little and comes too late.
– Haley has the problem that she has tried not to offend anyone. Then the candidate also rarely talks to anyone, Scala guesses.
The political science professor and long-time election expert does not give Haley very high hopes for a victory in New Hampshire.
– He has a small chance of winning, but it would require an exceptionally lively vote. It is not very likely, because the general perception is that the race seems to be over.