Democratic Voters Seeking 'Change' in N.H.

Jan. 8, 2008— -- The desire for change is clearly in the unseasonably warm New Hampshire air — at least among Democrats voting today.

Preliminary exit poll results find so far that more than half of the Democratic voters in today's primary say they're most interested in a candidate who can bring about needed change — a mantle all the candidates have sought since last week's Iowa caucuses.

Much further down the list, about two in 10 Democrats are looking for experience, and fewer still want a candidate who cares most about people like them. Even fewer Democrats are picking a candidate based on who has the best chance to win in November. Just one in 10 cited that as their top concern.

The proportion of independents turning out to vote in today's primary would be considered staggering in other states. But in "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire, it's not even business as usual. Just over four in 10 voters on the Democratic side in New Hampshire's primary are independents, compared with 48 percent in 2004, and a record 50 percent in 1992.

On the Republican side, it's a similar story. Preliminary results indicate about four in 10 are independents, similar to the previous high of 42 percent in 2000.

Keep in mind, on both sides, that's just a proportion of the turnout. More independents may have voted than in the past, but they made up a similar chunk of an apparently larger electorate this time.

While Democrats clearly have a taste for change — and it's no wonder, given that nearly everyone expressed negative feelings about the Bush administration — Republicans have a more complex palate.

Just under four in 10 are looking mainly for a candidate who shares their values. Slightly fewer, three in 10, want someone who says what he believes. And a quarter are looking for the most experienced candidate. As on the Democratic side, the fewest — just under one in 10 Republicans — are too concerned right now about who's best suited to win the general election.