New Hampshire undecideds want candidates to open up

BEDFORD, N.H. – As the primary inches closer, some New Hampshire residents are still unsure whom they will vote for.

Many have traveled across the state to attend candidate rallies and get a better measure of their agendas.

Nick Balistreri and his 10-year-old son, Ronan, went to see Jeb Bush  Saturday afternoon. Balistreri, a Bedford resident working in cancer research, said he didn’t the 900 people who showed up.

“If you look at the polls, he isn’t exactly the most popular guy, Balistreri said.

Voters and out-of-state residents gathered at the McKelvie Intermediate School  to hear the former Florida governor make his pitch as he hopes to finish near the top among the eight remaining GOP candidates.

The middle school gymnasium was filled to capacity, according to Fire Marshal who had to turn away nearly 200 people.

This was Bush’s largest crowd to date, according to Washington Post reporter Ed O’Keefe.

Balistreri said he had been Bush a supporter when he was a Florida college student, and applauded Bush for lowering undergraduate and graduate school tuition for in-state students.

“Jeb hand-built the system in Florida and it’s exploded since he left,” Balistreri said, smiling as he watched his son pose with the candidate. “He was a great governor.”

But Balistreri is still unsure who will be his choice come Tuesday.

“Honestly, I’m still fence-sitting,” he said, chuckling. “Bush probably has the strongest record, but I think Sanders really is better detailed in his plan and Trump is more impassioned than focused.”

He said he had needed to see for himself why Bush and his record were not resonating with voters.

According to the latest Monmouth University New Hampshire poll, Bush is tied for third place with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, behind businessman Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Recent polls have shown a that there remain a large number of undeclared voters, which has made personal campaigning even more crucial as candidates struggle to add these indecisive voters to their numbers.

Balistreri said his biggest complaint is with candidates whose platforms are too general or just dance around the issues that New England residents say they care about, such as veterans affairs and drug abuse.

Praising Trump’s impulsive demeanor and ability to speak his mind, Balistreri said he wasn’t completely ruling out voting for the New York billionaire.