LACONIA, N.H. (AP) – Presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee stands before a few dozen people at a meeting of New Hampshire’s Belknap County Democrats. The Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat gets nods of approval when he tells them he was the only Republican senator to vote against authorizing the war in Iraq.
Then smiles turn to laughter when he pitches another idea: The U.S. should switch to the metric system.
The former Rhode Island governor has visited the first primary state of New Hampshire a dozen times this year. But he seems to be making barely a ripple – aside from curiosity about some of his policy platforms.
In Belknap County, at least some Democrats seemed intrigued by Chafee as someone who could represent an alternative to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the commanding favorite for the nomination. But they are also puzzled by what he talks about sometimes.
Chafee told the group he wants to bring National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden home, dropping all charges against him. Paula Trombi of Meredith said she liked some of what he said but was taken aback and disappointed by his position on Snowden. She also can’t understand why he keeps talking about the metric system, of all things.