Politics

These Memes Prove Why Donald Trump Just Demolished New Hampshire

February 9th 2016

Donald Trump's New Hampshire victory may come as a shock to some, since the state has historically favored establishment GOP primary candidates. The New Hampshire Republican Primary went to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, who won with a whopping 39 percent, while Arizona Sen. Jon McCain won the state's GOP race with 37 percent of votes in 2008. So how did the business tycoon-turned anti-establishment presidential hopeful end up dominating this year's race?

These memes help explain how Trump won over New Hampshire Republican voters in Tuesday's primary.

1. Trump connects to voters' anger.

 

While Trump's rhetoric has channeled outrage throughout his campaign, Walter Shapiro reports that his tone softened as the New Hampshire primary approached.

"Trump is both legitimizing fury at the world, while simultaneously promising to bring back happiness to America," Shapiro writes.

In a recent town hall, Trump used a softened approach to address a flight attendant who almost worked on one of the September 11, 2001 flights. “I was so angry and so sad. And the two together, it was tough to function," she said.

Trump answered, “angry is okay, you know. We’re going to make you happy again. But being angry is okay.”

2. Trump's aggressive stance on national security resonates with New Hampshire voters.

 

According to a Jan. 10 Marist poll, 36 percent of likely Republican voters in New Hampshire ranked national security and terrorism as the most important campaign issue, and Trump has taken aggressive stances about ISIS and deporting Syrian refugees.

 

3. Trump has changed the campaign finance game.

 

Trump's campaign has been an unprecedented shake-up for campaign finance. While the business mogul boasts that he's paid for his campaign himself, New Hampshire has also given the third greatest number of campaign contributions per capita to Trump.

4. New Hampshire voters are swayed by Trump's business reputation and status as a ruthless negotiator.

 

An early January poll found that 22 percent of New Hampshire's likely Republican voters valued job creation above other issues. For this reason, Trump's business background and promises to create jobs may hold more water in New Hampshire than they do in more economically prosperous parts of the country.

 

5. Trump rails against gun control laws.

 

Nearly half of the state of New Hampshire owns guns. Though Trump was a proponent of a ban on assault weapons in 2000, he has since become a staunch defender of the Second Amendment.

Looks like another brick in Trump's wall...

 

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