In New Hampshire, Lieberman tiptoes on election trail

It's a chilly night for June, but the 60 or so folks gathered in Jay Kahn's small backyard here don't seem to mind. Awaiting the arrival of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) of Connecticut – having paid $25 each for the privilege – they help themselves to crackers and cheese and punch with sherbet floating on top. Between swats at mosquitoes, talk centers on national security and the economy.

The scene has a quaint, almost old-fashioned quality. But the timing betrays a phenomenon unique to modern politics. With the next presidential election still two and a half years away, the campaign among Democratic hopefuls is already well under way. Although generally beneath the public's radar screen, top contenders are steadily raising money, testing messages, and wooing party officials and activists in key states.

Given New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary – and the frontloaded 2004 schedule, under which the Democratic nominee could be decided by the first week in February – an early start there has become all the more important.

Several Keene residents note that House minority leader Richard Gephardt was recently in the area. Sen. John Kerry of neighboring Massachusetts has traveled to the Granite State several times, as has North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who is returning later this month.

"Anybody who wants to seek the Democratic nomination in '04 has to make a decision by the end of this year," says Senator Lieberman, in an interview over a late-night sandwich in Manchester, N.H. "And that's why we're all traveling around – going to a lot of places, but particularly, obviously, places that may have early primaries or caucuses."

Other states receiving early visits from top contenders include Iowa, which holds the nation's first electoral test in the form of caucuses, and South Carolina, whose primary will come just one week after New Hampshire's. Several Democrats have also made their way out to California, usually for fundraising.

Of course, 2004 isn't the sole reason these politicians are spending so much time on the road. This fall's congressional elections will dictate which party controls the US House and Senate for the next two years – and states such as New Hampshire, which has several competitive races, could prove critical.

At the house party in Keene, for example, Lieberman implores local Democrats to work toward the election of Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), who is hoping to unseat Sen. Bob Smith.

Still, the main purpose of his visit is clear to all. The host actually introduces Lieberman as "a presidential candidate," to which the senator jokingly responds, "Did you just declare my candidacy?"

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