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 Trump's clashes with U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and New
Jersey Governor Chris Christie drew laughs from the group, whose
state will hold the first nominating primary of the White House race
early next year ahead of the November 2016 election.
Several dozen Republicans gathered around two large televisions on
the second floor of a bar in Derry, New Hampshire. Many voiced
intense interest in what they heard from the three of 11 candidates
who had come from outside politics - Trump, former Hewlett-Packard
Chief Executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
"Nobody's changed my mind. I liked what I saw, especially Ms.
Fiorina and Mr. Trump, they were the standouts," said Mike Rowland,
77. The pair, who sparred throughout the three-hour debate, stood
out for their outsider status, he said.
"People are fed up with voting for regular Republicans, because they
know that they get into office and don't solve the problems,"
Rowland said.
His views were in line with those of many New Hampshire voters, with
a WBUR/MassINC opinion poll released on Wednesday before the debate
showing Trump leading among likely voters in the state's Republican
primary, with 20 percent support.
 Carson had the second-most support of the 404 voters polled, at 17
percent, putting him in a statistical tie with Trump, given the
poll's 4.9 percentage point margin of error. Fiorina had the support
of 9 percent of respondents, placing her third and ahead of
fourth-place former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, with 8 percent
support.
Jeff Odhner, 57, said he thought Bush's performance had been more
dynamic than seen earlier in the campaign, but added that he was
still supportive of Trump, who is also leading in national polls of
Republican voters.
"I think that Trump is the kind of guy who is going to hire good
people, have good people around him and hold them accountable,"
Odhner said.
Several voters said they would make no final decisions until closer
to the New Hampshire primary and noted that Trump, whose brash style
has earned him headlines and television time, could burn out during
the remaining 14 months of the campaign.
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"I don't mind him being a front-runner, but it's still early," said
Brian Chirichiello, a state representative. "I like the fact that he
is a businessman, which is good. I just worry that he may be a
little one-dimensional."
The debate setting, on a stage in front of a retired Air Force One
plane at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley,
California, also prompted debate-watchers to assess which candidate
seemed most presidential, said Neil Levesque, executive director of
the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
"The New Hampshire primary voter has always been the person who
votes for someone who can lead the 50 states. They're not
single-issue voters," Levesque said. "Who could turn around on that
stage and walk on Air Force One and be president of the United
States, all 50 states?"
Arthur Evans, a 51-year-old business owner, said he was interested
in the debate but placed more stock in candidate's personal
appearances in the state.
Evans, who noted that he was leaning towards U.S. Senator Ted Cruz
of Texas, said he doubted Trump would survive a sustained campaign.
"I don't think he's going to be the nominee," Evans said. "It's name
recognition, he's been around since the '80s and he's been on TV.
But when people go to the polls and get into the booth, I don't
think people are going to vote for him."
For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog, “Tales
from the Trail”. (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/)
(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Howard Goller)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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