DERRY, N.H. — Campaigning alone in New Hampshire, Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman says Iowa plays an important role in winnowing the field, but it will be New Hampshire that sends a message about which candidate is most electable.
The former Utah governor is skipping Tuesday's Iowa caucuses and has been focused only on New Hampshire, while other candidates are mostly focused on Iowa. New Hampshire holds the first primary Jan. 10.
After a town hall meeting in Derry Sunday, Huntsman told reporters that Iowa plays an important role in narrowing the field, and that Rick Santorum's recent rise there shows that traditional grassroots campaigning is still important. But he said it will be New Hampshire that sets the standard going forward.
Huntsman, has been making modest gains there, chose a more politically correct in assessing the contests today than he did last week, when he said, "They pick corn in Iowa. They pick presidents in New Hampshire."
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