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On the other hand, in the absence of sharp, direct confrontation, Nixon can claim victory in the primaries by default without expending much ammunition. He can concentrate his attacks solely on Lyndon Johnson in broad terms during the preconvention period—which he has been trying to do anyway—keeping his specific proposals fresh for the general election. Instead of devoting most of his time to the six primaries he is entered in, Nixon points out, "I am going to greatly expand my efforts in the non-primary states. We'll be able to plow ground we would not otherwise have been able to plow." And to hear Nixon strategists tell it, Romney's exit dissipates a certain obfuscation around the G.O.P.'s center, which Nixon covets as his private turf. They feel that now there is only Rockefeller on the Republican left, Reagan a dim figure on the right, and Nixon alone in the middle.
Nixon's initial reaction, however, was to maintain popular interest in the primaries, especially New Hampshire. He got word of Romney's decision while stumping in Milford, a few hours before the official announcement. Two aides who picked up the rumor drew Nixon into a lavatory to give him the news. His first reaction upon reappearing: "I don't believe it."
Political License. Soon he was not only believing it but adroitly acting on it. Even before Rockefeller gave the go-ahead to draft committees and write-in campaigns, Nixon declared: "New Hampshire has the significance of indicating how strong Governor Rockefeller is in the state. If he gets a minimal [write-in] vote, that would tend to discourage those who want to draft him." With more than a bit of political license, Nixon also remarked: "Rockefeller is said always to have been popular in this state. I have no reason to question that" Actually, Rockefeller ran a poor third in New Hampshire four years ago despite a vigorous campaign. Henry Cabot Lodge won, and Goldwater came in second.
Nixon's purpose was served when Rockefeller supporters announced that they would step up their write-in drive in New Hampshire. Their efforts until now have been slight and amateurish. Regardless of how that turns out—Nixon kindly set a near-impossible goal of 30% for Rockefeller—there will be a subsidiary contest between the two. The phase of the New Hampshire primary that gets all the attention is the so-called popularity contest, in which voters express their preferences for the individual candidates. However, the ballot has another segment listing convention delegates who may run as pledged to a candidate, favorable to one, or uncommitted. Both Nixon and Rockefeller have delegate slates supporting them. Therefore, Rockefeller's name, while missing from the popularity contest, appears 16 times elsewhere with those of the eight nominees for delegates and eight for alternates.
Second Barrel. Nixon was not content to be running against Rockefeller; he named Lyndon Johnson as an antagonist. "The size of the vote on the Republican side," he pointed out, "will be measured against the size of the vote on the Democratic side. The bigger the vote we get, the clearer the message will ring out loud across the country that New Hampshire says the time has come for Lyndon Johnson to go home to Texas."