Tag Archives: candidate appearance

NH Primary fun – “You’re no Jack Kennedy…”

By splaine | Published January 4, 2012

Game on in New Hampshire! Now that the Iowa caucus is over John Huntsman will not be the only primary candidate wandering the streets on New Hampshire seeking primary voters. This shot made on Monday when all the excitement was in the Midwest, the calm before the storm. Looking forward to a week full of political events and sightings.

Gov. Huntsman with wife in tow, passing in front of a bust of JFK which graces the Main Street in front of the city hall in Nashua, NH. The statue commemorates the spot that Kennedy started his campaign for president in 1960. The image reeks of irony for me and I can not but hear the voice of Lloyd Benson comment on VP Dan Quayle ” You’re no Jack Kennedy…”

The presidential primary, the national sport of the Granite State is truly one of my favorite things. Only six more days until the parade leaves town!

Posted in Live event photography, NH Primary | Also tagged candidate, current events, Dan Splaine Photo educator, Dan Splaine photographer, editorial photography, election, event photography, Nashua, New Hampshire, New Hampshire primary, photojournalism, politicians, politics Comments Off

The scrum begins- NH PRIMARY has a slow start

By splaine | Published June 1, 2011

The national sport of the State of New Hampshire is of course the much beloved, first in the nation, presidential primary. Having had the privileged of growing up in Nashua, I have been watching the parade of politicians stomping across the granite state since the early 1970’s. (We are a state of astute political handicappers and I think the rest of the nation does not quite get what a service we provide to the body politic). For myself, a political junkie and a photographer the primary campaigns are pure joy and source of great imagery.

This time around the parade has not really begun. Given President Obama’s unchallenged status among the Democratic party and the Republican pool of candidates unwilling and reluctant to jump in things are pretty quiet on the NH stump. At this point in a typical election year we would have candidates and their minions as thick as black flies roaming the state.

The Memorial Day appearance of Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann in Dover was my first chance of this election cycle to photograph a candidate on the hunt for votes. Despite her undeclared status and Sarah Palin’s tour competing for media attention a fair amount of media turned out. Half the fun of the primary show is the media scrum that follows the candidates and of course jumping in to get the images I want to make. My mass and height give me some advantage in the mix and a certain immunity to elbows and nudges.

Bachmanns’s presentation was unremarkable by design-she is keeping her powder dry for her upcoming Iowa announcement. As modest as the event was it excited my taste for things to come, the political theater of the New Hampshire primary. Bring on the parade!