Four New Hampshire independents, four reasons they voted Democratic

A majority of independent voters in Tuesday's presidential primary chose one of the Democratic candidates. Those who voted on the GOP side helped boost McCain to victory.

posted January 9, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. EST

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Edwards is also the one she would trust with her children. "His message about leaving the world better for your children is very powerful. Other people adopted it. I am of the generation where my kids may not make out better than I did," she says.

Appeal of a 'fresh face'

Ms. Ward's moment of decision came Monday evening. She liked what Bill Richardson, Ron Paul, and Dennis Kucinich had to say about the Iraq war. So what was it about Obama that sealed the deal for her? "Sometimes it takes someone with a fresh face to say an old message so it's brand-new," she says.

Obama drew more of the independent vote here – about 24 percent – than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican. Clinton garnered about 18.6 percent of independents, and Senator McCain 15.1 percent. The remainder cast ballots for one of the nine other candidates, the exit poll data showed.

Ward acknowledges that by voting for Obama she made compromises on issues she cares about, including his position on the war in Afghanistan. "I want all the boys and girls home in America," she says, and out of harm's way.

The decision, ultimately, was not an easy one for her. "I don't feel the fire in this," she says.

Independent voter Russ Ouellette, on the other hand, says he was "very excited" to vote for Obama. The issues weren't what moved him. He was looking for someone who would be a "leader," able to "move beyond fear and divisiveness to get something done." He was inspired by Obama's call for "a new kind of politics."

The Illinois senator's personal story is compelling, too, he says.

"Part of me is glad that he is an African-American. Part of me is glad that he has a Muslim name. Part of me is glad that he has no experience. Because that is drastically different. The traditional rich white man with 35 years of experience is not necessarily going to be able to think objectively about what needs to be done."

But Mr. Ouellette wants to ensure that Obama will remain as committed to reaching out to independents and Republicans as his sweeping words suggest.

For that reason, Ouellette tempers his enthusiasm with a note of caution. "I reserve my feelings because I don't know what's going to happen," he says.

• Other stories in this series appeared Nov. 20 and Dec. 24.

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