‘Political tourists' crowd NH to get up close with the candidates

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MANCHESTER, N.H. — When people go on vacation, they usually go to beaches, go skiing, or go sight-seeing. Not the tourists KSL encountered in New Hampshire. They're there for the politics — and the spectacle.

Manchester, N.H., is full of journalists, candidates and campaigners as Republican presidential hopefuls congregated for the state's primary election. But many among the crowd aren't connected to the campaigns or the media — they're just in town for the adventure, and to catch a glimpse of a rising star.

Meet Ryan Glenn, an unassuming guy from McMinnville, Tenn. As a political tourist, he loves the spectacle of the New Hampshire primary and was there for the last round four years ago.

"Don't get too many (candidate) visits in Tennessee, so I gotta come up here and take it all in," he said, adding he loves "just seeing the media circus and all the different celebrities."

Glenn has walked around makeshift TV sets, gone to Manchester locales- turned-campaign stops, and waited for what will make memories.

"We saw an incident with Ron Paul where he went to a diner and his wife got shoved," he said.

Glenn is not alone. Jeff Remz calls himself a professional political tourist.

"I've followed elections since I was 11 in 1968, and I've always enjoyed the political process."

In New Hampshire, Remz likes seeing the big names, but he loves the interaction with the little guys.

That's because in Manchester, the "other" candidates — more than 30 total — come to you. Some are a bit weary after two months plodding through the Granite State.

"I'm thinking, ‘I'm out of my mind,'" said candidate Michael Meehan. "I'm 57 years old and I'm out here running around."

That kind of interaction, though, is why droves come here, if only just to watch.

"This year especially there have been quite a few people coming to do what we call ‘vacation political touring,'" said Judi Window with Granite State Ambassadors.

Numbers may be hard to pin down, but Window says it's plenty common. Some people love drowning in media hordes and political speech.

"New Hampshire is known for being a place to talk to the candidates and ask questions of the candidates, and you can't do that in too many states," she said.

Of all the political tourists KSL has encountered, it's amazing how they really are from all over the country: Tennessee, Utah, Arizona, California — and even the world, with groups hailing from Vancouver and Ireland.