McCain makes final appeal to N.H. voters

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who is seeking to ride recent momentum into the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, hammered home the issues of his campaign in brief remarks to voters here Monday.

McCain addressed many supports and throngs of press from the steps of Manchester’s City Hall, which sits on the city’s main thoroughfare. He was joined by his wife, Cindy, his daughter, Bridget, former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.).

{mosads}To chants of the campaign’s new slogan “Mac is Back,” the senator emphasized that he wants “to restore trust and confidence in government.” He promoted his dedication to fiscal responsibility, vowing to be a “careful steward of your tax dollars.” He also promised to veto all “pork barrel bills that come across my desk” when he is president.

McCain also tackled the Iraq war. He said he is prepared to take on the spread of “islamofascism,” which he views as the greatest challenge facing the nation.

“We are succeeding in Iraq. We are winning this war,” he said. “We will never surrender and they will.”

Al Qaeda is losing, he added, but they haven’t surrendered yet. Under his leadership, he said, they will.

“I’ll get Osama bin Laden,” he said and followed up with one of his famous quotes. “I’ll follow him to the gates of hell.”

Recent polls show McCain is gaining momentum in the Granite State going into Tuesday’s primary. A CNN/WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll showed McCain with a six point advantage over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (32 percent to 26 percent, respectively). Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee placed third in the poll with 14 percent.

Two voters McCain hoped to impress here Monday were Dan Demers and Mike Ross.

Demers is an independent and has not decided yet who he will vote for. He is considering McCain and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). The Iraq war is an important issue to Demers, 45, which he said he is “looking to bring to closure.”

McCain appeals to him because of his dedication to fiscal responsibility. Demers wants the deficit reduced and the budget balanced. He believes McCain will be able to accomplish those goals.

Demers was supporting Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) until he dropped out of the race following his poor showing in Iowa. He has been leaning toward McCain for some time, but said that Obama has recently “tweaked my interest.”

Ross has lived in Manchester all of his life. Like Demers, he is leaning toward voting for McCain but has been drawn to Huckabee (R) since his victory in Iowa.

“I like McCain’s leadership,” he said. “I think he would make an excellent commander-in-chief.”

More than anything else, though, Ross has been attracted to how McCain has steadfastly held to his positions.

“McCain has stuck by his guns,” he said. “He has been for certain things and against certain things from day one. He hasn’t wavered.”