Advertisement Beto O'Rourke making campaign stops across Granite State Democratic presidential candidate making 5 stops Wednesday



Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke is continuing his road trip through New Hampshire on Wednesday.Whether it's being mobbed by students on the Plymouth State University campus or delivering a stump speech in Claremont, it's clear that O'Rourke's newly minted presidential campaign will fuel itself on the same energy that propelled him to political stardom in 2018 and a message of bridging the partisan divide.>> Download the FREE WMUR app"Regardless of who you voted for last time, you're my fellow American. Before you're a Democrat or a Republican, you're someone with whom I can work to make things better for everyone," the former congressman said.O'Rourke arrived Tuesday night and spoke in the student center at Keene State College.He made stops Wednesday morning in Claremont and Plymouth, with planned visits scheduled in Conway at the Mount Washington Valley before a rally at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Wednesday night.O'Rourke is making a point to avoid big, rally-style events, even hitting up a brewery in Conway.But the crowds have been there, and many are eager to see if he can live up to what they've seen on TV and Facebook Live."I hope he can live up to it," said Kathryn Elvey, of lymouth.Some first-in-the-nation voters said O'Rourke connects the way a president needs to."He's like Obama," said Darlene Poulton, of Grantham.In Claremont, O’Rourke drew a crowd to the Common Man Restaurant.This mill town on the Connecticut River looks like it will be a battleground, not just in the Democratic primary, but also in the 2020 election. Claremont voted for former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but then voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. O’Rourke drove to the Granite State from Iowa, making stops in Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania along the way in communities like Claremont, where the “Make America Great Again” message really resonated.He admitted there's been a learning curve already betwene running a high-profile U.S. Senate capmaign and running for prsident, but he said he plans to put in the work needed to win in New Hampshire."Your prospects to win in an election, your ability to effectively serve, once in office, is premised on showing up and listening to those who understand the issues in Claremont, or in New Hampshire, better than anyone else," O'Rourke told WMUR.O’Rourke is pledging to hit all 10 counties in the New Hampshire on this first visit, which will stretch into Thursday.