MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Latest on the race for president, with candidates focusing on New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the 2016 race on Tuesday (all times local):
11:20 a.m.
Iowa didn’t turn out the way Donald Trump wanted.
So after Trump shrouded his Iowa operations in secrecy, the Republican’s presidential campaign has opened the door to what appears to be more robust effort in New Hampshire to ensure that his supporters actually vote for him.
Trump finished second to Ted Cruz in last Monday’s Iowa caucuses. Next up is the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, and polls put Trump atop the field.
Trumps tells The Associated Press that he thinks “we’re going to have an OK ground game” in New Hampshire.
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11:10 a.m.
Hillary Clinton is working hard to try to convince voters that she’s authentic. But it seems she’s having trouble earning the public’s trust.
Rival Bernie Sanders is stepping up his criticism of her Wall Street ties and raising questions about whether she’s really a liberal. His message is connecting with younger people.
They seem less interested in Clinton’s pitch as a “progressive who gets things done” than in Sanders’ call for a “political revolution.”
According to surveys of Iowa caucus-goers, it appears that questions about Clinton’s authenticity hurt her in the state.
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11 a.m.
Jeff Ashcraft just wanted to know Chris Christie’s take on U.S. policy in the Middle East.
So he tossed out the question at an event before last Monday’s Iowa caucuses. Ashcraft says his son is set to deploy to Iraq in May.
Ashcraft says the Republican presidential contender gave “probably the most detailed answer” he’s heard from a candidate so far.
But Ashcraft didn’t caucus for the New Jersey governor. Instead he backed Marco Rubio — saying the Florida senator has a better shot at getting elected and would make a great president.
Christie has made the exchange with Ashcraft a staple of his New Hampshire stump speech. The Christie campaign says the point of the story is about the serious responsibilities of the next president.
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10:40 a.m.
It’s the final debate before the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, and Donald Trump is rejoining his Republican presidential rivals on the stage.
The debate is Saturday night at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.
Trump skipped the last debate in Iowa because of a dispute with host Fox News.
He finished second to Ted Cruz in the leadoff caucuses last Monday and some rivals sense weakness even though the billionaire businessman is the favorite in New Hampshire polling.
After Iowa, some Republicans dropped out of the race and the New Hampshire results could determine whether more candidates quit the 2016 race.
Host ABC has dropped an undercard debate for low-polling candidates, and debate rules have left Carly Fiorina as the only contender without a spot on stage Saturday night
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