In between several events in New Hampshire over the weekend, presidential hopeful, Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard met with a small but warm gathering of voters at the Shattuck Golf Club in Jaffrey Sunday afternoon where she offered up her vision for the country and her mother’s macadamia nut toffee.
“You have to understand the power and magic of the toffee,” she said urging voters to try some.
Gabbard also offered to bring some of the toffee to people homes if they want to host a “toffee and coffee” event for her campaign saying she is meeting with as many Granite State voters as possible ahead of its first in the nation, Feb. 11, presidential primary.
“I’m going to be here, a whole lot more, going all across the state. Town by town, small towns, big towns and just sharing this message of unity and of service and of making sure that our government is really a government of by, of and for all the people,” she told voters.
Gabbard was joined at the event by local campaign volunteers, Peterborough brothers, Eric and Mike Jackman.
“In my view — I’m 33-years-old — she’s my generation’s JFK,” Eric Jackman told the crowd.
Like former president John F. Kennedy, Gabbard is is a transformational figure, he said, “young, charismatic, big-picture guy. Tulsi you’re all those things.”
After the event Melanie McDonald of Jaffrey said she is an undecided registered Democrat and her husband Chris McDonald is an Independent and they were both interested in finding out more about Gabbard.
“We’re trying to find common ground in our household and also want to be able to vote our conscience,” McDonald said. “She’s very down to earth. She doesn’t have any bravado. She’s passionate without letting her passion overwhelm her action. So I think she is a solid candidate.”
McDonald added it was nice to just listen to a candidate speak who didn’t seem to be putting on a performance or some type of show, she said. “A lot of these events are pumped in music and a lot of cheering.”
After the event, Gabbard said the ongoing opioid crisis is an issue that has been raised again and again at her town halls in New Hampshire. And more recently the threat of war with Iran.
“Voters are being told over and over again, ‘Look there’s not enough money for Special Ed, there’s not enough money for infrastructure.’ Not enough money for all these things but there always seems to be a blank check to go and be able to wage war, unnecessary and wasteful wars, that have nothing to do with our country’s interest,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard said it’s time to shift the country’s resources toward treatment centers that don’t have enough beds and to schools, which are now educating the children who are now also victims of the opioid crisis.