Trump puts focus on NH voter turnout

NASHUA, N.H. — Donald Trump is upping the ante in the first-in-the-nation primary state, vowing to spend “a lot of money” and urging voters to turn out to the polls.

With 42 days until the contest in the Granite State, the Republican presidential front-runner on Monday night sought to answer skeptics who question whether he can turn the massive number of supporters who show up at rallies into voters on election day.

{mosads}“There’s such love in every room, no matter where I go,” he told a crowd of supporters in an overflow room at Monday’s Nashua rally. “There’s such love … so on Feb. 9, you gotta get out there. You gotta vote.”

He took several shots at the media, which he says does not expect his supporters to show up at the polls. He defended his support. 

“What are you doing standing here all night if you’re not going to vote?”

Trump’s lead in New Hampshire primary polls is double the percentage of the second place candidate, according to the RealClearPolitics average. But even he, who pats himself on the back for low campaign spending and a self-funded campaign, told the crowd, “We’re going to spend a lot of money in the next few weeks. I don’t want to take any chances.”

Earlier in the day, unnamed Trump sources said the real estate mogul is set to launch a $2 million per week television advertising blitz. The first round of ads will reportedly be positive, communicating his policy positions, but the tone could quickly shift if Trump feels he is being unfairly targeted by opponents.