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Carney hopes to know the first choices of all 200,000 potential Republican voters in the state. "That way," he says, "we can strike for them if their first choice falters, like we did for Bush in '88 when Al Haig tanked." Dole already has 25,000 New Hampshire Republicans committed to him publicly, which is about the same number that Bush had at the end of his winning 1988 primary. To cement the allegiance of those supporters and encourage them to enlist others, each will soon get an audiocassette from Dole and the first issue of a newsletter, as well as constant calls from their town leaders. An elaborate fax and E-mail operation helps "everyone feel some ownership in the candidacy," says Carney. Affinity groups are being formed too. The leaders of some 20 such groups -- like Teachers for Dole -- will also have vote goals to reach. "Bind 'em in early," says Carney of the volunteers, "and you have 'em when things go wrong, which they always do."
If it seems that little is left to chance, that's because little is -- and Dole himself is working harder than ever. "He's here often, meeting quietly with small groups and making calls to selected Republicans," says Carney. Of the hundreds of calls placed so far, perhaps none have been so important as those that have won the endorsement of every one of New Hampshire's nine Republican county sheriffs, a first ever sweep. "They're kind of a secret weapon," explains Carney. "The sheriffs up here know everybody and are perceived as less political than the other elected pols, so their support carries a lot of weight, and not just with the pro-gun crowd." The special attention is "damn impressive," says sheriff Walter Morse of Hillsborough County. "I got calls from Dole and met with him three times. The others called only once, and they're a hell of a lot less busy than he is. You want to win, so you want to be with the most serious guys. That's clearly Dole and his people."
"I know how I got beat before, and I'm making the corrections," Dole deadpanned last February as he watched Carney buttonhole a prospective supporter. "You do it person by person, kitchen by kitchen. It's tedious, and it doesn't mean much -- unless you want to win."