>> CATHY: WITH TWO PRIMARIES BEHIND US, THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE IS SHAPING UP TO BE WHAT MOST AMERICANS EXPECTED, A REMATCH BETWEEN FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND CURRENT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S PRIMARY LAST MONTH HAS BEEN BILLED AS "FIRST IN THE NATION" FOR DECADES, THOUGH THIS YEAR WAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT AS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHOSE SOUTH CAROLINA AS ITS FIRST OFFICIAL BALLOT CONTEST.

DAN HOFRENNING TEACHES POLITICS AT ST. OLAF COLLEGE.

EVERY FOUR YEARS SINCE 2004, HE HAS BROUGHT A GROUP OF STUDENTS TO NEW HAMPSHIRE TO STUDY THE SYSTEM AND GET A FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CAMPAIGNS.

HIS STUDENTS ARE WITH US.

AIDAN WARRINGTON IS FROM ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA, WORKED ON THE PHILLIPS CAMPAIGN.

A NATIVE OF FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, ADDIE RAUM WORKED ON THE HALEY CAMPAIGN.

CORY HALLADA, FROM PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, WAS EMBEDDED WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COOPER OLEYAR FROM ROSEMOUNT, MINNESOTA, VOLUNTEERED FOR THE WRITE-IN BIDEN CAMPAIGN.

WOW!

OKAY, PROFESSOR.

YOU'VE DONE THIS TWO DECADES, RIGHT?

WHY?

WHY?

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

WELL, I SUPPOSE PROBABLY AT THE END OF THE DAY, I LOVE POLITICS.

AND I THINK EVEN AS A LITTLE KID, I LIKED TO WATCH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES COME TO MY HOMETOWN.

AND SO NOW I GET TO DO FOR MY JOB WHAT I LOVED DOING AS A LITTLE KID.

THEY'RE JUST A WONDERFUL GROUP OF STUDENTS.

THEY'RE ABLE TO READ THE ACADEMIC LITERATURE AND STUDY THE IMPACT OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY AND ITS ROLE IN PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS.

BUT THEY'RE ALSO ABLE TO ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES AND DO THE HARD, HARD ORK OF CAMPAIGNING.

>> Eric: AIDEN, WHEN YOU WERE WITH DEAN PHILLIPS, WERE YOU THERE THAT DAY WHERE HE BOUGHT COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS AND NOBODY SHOWED UP?

>> YEAH, I WAS THERE.

SO THAT WAS A BILLIONTH OF A MISCOMMUNICATION ON THE WHOLE.

SO THAT WAS A -- THE IN.

L. COLLEGE CONVENTION.

AND PEOPLE WERE, LIKE, PARKING IN THE PARKING LOT AND COMING IN THROUGH THAT ENTRANCE, BUT HE WAS AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE.

SO NO ONE WAS GOING BY.

I WAS ONE OF THE FEW THAT ACTUALLY WENT AND GOT COFFEE WITH HIM AND JUST SOMEONE HAPPENED TO SNAP THE PHOTO OF HIM SITTING THERE, SORT OF LIKE ALL ON HIS EIGHTEEN.

>> Eric: HE LOOKED KIND OF FOR ALLOW.

>> A LITTLE BIT.

BUT IT WAS -- BUT THAT WAS FROM THERE, IT WAS ALL THE WAY UP.

>> Eric: ALL RIGHT.

>> Cathy: O AD YEAR, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS SOME OBSERVE, AND THEN YOU WERE EMBEDDED INTO THE CAMPAIGNS?

>> OUR TIME IN NEW HAMPSHIRE WAS SPLIT BETWEEN CLASS TIME AND LISTENING TO SPEAKERS THAT OUR PROFESSOR SET UP AND THEN BEING ON THE CAMPAIGN.

AS WE GOT CLOSER TO THE PRIMARY DAY, OUR CAMPAIGN TIME GOT MORE AND MORE INTENSE.

I KNOW I WORKED ON THE NIK KINK HALEY CAMPAIGN AND WE WERE WORKING 12, 13-HOUR DAYS BECAUSE WE KNEW WHAT WAS AT STAKE, AND SO WE WERE THERE FROM 7:00 A.M. TO 9:30 AT NIGHT.

>> Eric: WAS THERE A TRUMP RALLY THAT YOU GOT TO SEE?

>> I THINK THERE WAS A TRUMP RALLY ONE DAY.

A COUPLE OF US WENT THERE FROM THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, BUT A LOT OF OTHERS WERE BUSY WITH THEIR CAMPAIGNS.

I WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND.

>> Eric: DID THIS TURN YOU ON TO POLITICS AS A CAREER, OR REPELLED YOU AND SAY I'LL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN FOR A LIVING?

>> IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE THE WHOLE PROCESS.

THIS WAS MY FIRST CAMPAIGN THAT I'VE WORKED ON.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK.

IT WAS VERY, LIKE, HIGH ENERGY, VERY -- A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU HAD TO DO.

BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY LIKE KIND OF FUN TO HANG OUT WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE ALL LIKE-MINDED A.

WORK TOWARDS TO A COMMON GOAL.

>> COOPER, WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WATCH THE NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA?

KORY, I'M SORRY.

>> Eric: AND ALL THE SURROGATES, WAS IT FUN TO SEE ALL THESE PEOPLE YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ON TV?

>> THE NEWS IMMEDIATE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THERE WERE -- YEAH, THE -- WERE EVERYWHERE.

I GOT TO RUN INTO VIVEK, KRI LAKE.

>> COOPER AND I HAD BREAKFAST ONE MORNING AND NERCHG THING I KNEW HE'S ON FOX AND FRIENDS LIVE.

>> YEAH, ONE OF THE REPORTERS FOR FOX AND FRIENDS JUST OVERHEARD US TALKING ABOUT POLITICS AT THE DINER, AND WENT TO ASK ME SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, YEAH, THE CAMPAIGN, WORKING FOR TRUMP AND KIND OF THE THINGS I WAS SEEING.

IT WAS VERY FUN.

>> Eric: WERE YOU QUOTABLE?

>> QUOTABLE?

OH.

[ Laughter ] I LIKE TO THINK SO.

>> Eric: I BET YOU WERE.

A WOMAN IN THE RAISE.

, YOU KNOW, HALEY WAS KIND OF IT.

DID THAT PLAY WELL?

SHE MADE A BRAVE FACE OF IT ON THE ELECTION NIGHT.

BUT WHAT WAS YOUR SENSE OF THE GENDER BUSINESS THERE?

>> YEAH, I THINK NIKKI HALEY BOTH HAD AN ADVANTAGE IN THE SENSE THAT THE WOMEN FOR HALEY ORGANIZATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY REALLY CAME OUT REALLY, REALLY STRONG FOR HER.

ON THE FINAL NIGHT AT THE BIG RALLY THAT WE HAD ON ELECTION NIGHT, I WAS ACTUALLY STANDING OR I WAS ACTUALLY STANDING BEHIND A WOMAN FOR HALEY WHO, LIKE, WAS A BIG SUPPORTER OF THE CAMPAIGN.

AND SHE WAS, LIKE, BLOCKING MY VIEW OF EVERYTHING.

AND SHE'S LIKE CHEERING AND JUMPING UP.

BUT LIKE, THERE'S SO MANY VOLUNTEERS.

WE PUT UP 50-PLUS VOLUNTEERS IN WOMEN FOR HALEY THAT FLEW IN FROM ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY.

SO I THINK HER BEING A WOMAN REALLY, BOTH GIVES HER A LOT OF SUPPORT, AND THEN ALSO TAKES IT AWAY IN SOME ASPECTS.

BUT I KNOW THAT THE WOMEN FOR HALEY ORGANIZATION WORKS REALLY, REALLY HARD TO GET HER THE VOLUNTEERS.

>> Eric: ARE YOU HAPPY SHE'S STICKING IN THERE?

>> I AM.

I THINK THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT -- I MEAN, WHAT OUR COUNTRY RUNS ON IS DEMOCRACY AND IF WE DON'T HAVE CHOICE IN ANY OF THESE ELECTIONS THAT COME UP IN ANY PRIMARIES, WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE DEMOCRACY.

AND TRUMP IS NOT A DICTATOR.

WE GET TO HAVE A CHOICE, EVEN IF HER CAMPAIGN ISN'T SUCCESSFUL, EVEN IF SHE GETS 20%, AT LEAST AMERICANS HAD A CHOICE.

>> Cathy: SO TRUMP HAD A CAMPAIGN.

HALEY, PHILLIPS.

THERE WAS THE WRITING-IN BIDEN CAMPAIGN.

WAS THERE MUCH TO DO WITH THAT AT ALL?

>> YEAH, THERE WAS ACTUALLY A LOT OF WORK.

OBVIOUSLY IT'S A BIT OF AN ODD CAMPAIGN BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THE CANDIDATE CAMPAIGNING THERE.

DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES.

WE ONLY HAD A BUDGET OF, LIKE, 70,000 FOR THE ENTIRE STATE.

SO A LOT OF THE WORK WAS MOSTLY GETTING PEOPLE AWARE OF THE WRITE-IN EFFORT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO WRITE IN THE PRESIDENT AND HOW TO DO THAT CORRECTLY?

>> Cathy: HOW DID THAT WORK?

>> IT WORKED VERY WELL.

ONE PART WAS, LIKE, YARD SIGNS, JUST GETTING PEOPLE AWARE.

AND WE ALSO HAD POLL SIGNS THAT PEOPLE HELD UP ON PRIME KEASM DAY THAT HAD INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO FILL OUT THE BALLOT CORRECTLY TO VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN.

>> Eric: AIDAN, WERE YOU INTERESTED OR MAYBE YOU CAN SHARE THAT WITH US, INTERESTINGLY THAT PHILLIPS, DID HE CHANGE HIS MESSAGE AS THE DAYS WENT ALONG?

HE BECAME A LITTLE BIT MORE LIB OF LIBERAL, DID YOU NOTICE THAT?

OR DID HIS STANCES EVOLVE?

>> WELL, I WAS -- I MEAN, I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT DEAN BEFORE CHOOSING HIM AS THE PERSON I WOULD WORK FOR.

BUT I MEAN, THROUGHOUT MY TIME THERE, GOING TO LL HIS PACKED TO THE BRIM EVENTS AND LITTLE BREW PUBS ACROSS THE STATE, HIS MESSAGE WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND VERY CLEAR.

THERE ARE, LIKE, OF COURSE SOME THINGS LIKE CONGRESSIONAL HISTORY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT WHAT HE'S SAYING NOW I THINK IS STILL QUITE CONSISTENT.

>> Cathy: I WANT TO GO DOWN THE LINE HERE IF I COULD ABOUT BIGGEST SURPRISES.

I'M GOING TO WAIT FOR THE PROFESSOR HERE.

BUT ADDIE?

>> I THINK THE BIGGEST SURPRISE WAS THE AMOUNT OF DUNKIN DOUGHNUTS ON THE EAST COAST.

THEY'RE ON EVERY CORNER.

[ Laughter ] >> Cathy: OKAY, I'LL TAKE THAT ONE.

I THINK COOPER, WHAT DID YOU THINK?

BIGGEST SURPRISE FOR YOU?

>> BIGGEST SURPRISE AS JUST, LIKE, HOW KIND OF SMALL IT WAS.

I GUESS I WAS -- IT'S JUST LIKE WE WERE LITERALLY BORROWING AN OFFICE FROM THE AFL-CIO.

>> PHILLIPS CAMPAIGN HAD AN OLD BANK, WHICH THEY WERE LOOKING A LITTLE POSH I THOUGHT.

>> Cathy: BIGGEST URPRISE FOR YOU, COREY?

>> I WOULD SAY IT WAS THE BUILDING WE WERE WORKING AT OF QUITE THE OPPOSITE.

IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE WORKING IN A GIANT SHED BUT WE MADE IT NICE ON THE INSIDE.

>> HOW MUCH WE ACTUALLY GOT TO SEE DEAN IN PERSON.

HE WOULD COME AND THANK US PERSONALLY FOR HELPING OUT AND STUFF AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT FROM, LIKE, OTHERS.

>> Cathy: NOW, YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 20 YEARS.

THERE'S ALWAYS SOME SURPRISE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

>> WELL, THIS YEAR, IT WAS A LITTLE LESS INTENSE.

THERE WEREN'T AS MANY CANDIDATES.

IN 2020, THERE WERE PROBABLY TEN VIABLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.

AND I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE THE INTENSITY TO MAKE IT A GOOD EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE.

BUT I THINK I WAS SURPRISED, IN SOME WAYS, LESS INTENSE, BUT YOU SORT OF FELT LIKE A LOT WAS T STAKE.

>> Eric: DID YOU GET THE FEELING YOU COULD TALK TO CANDIDATES MULTIPLE TIMES?

IT WAS WITH THE PEOPLE ON THE STREET?

>> WAS I SAY IT DEPENDED ON THE CANDIDATE, FOR ME AT LEAST WITH SOMEONE LIKE TRUMP, THERE'S A LOT MORE SECURITY AROUND HIM.

MAYBE A LITTLE LESS ACCESS.

BUT I GOT TO SPEAK TO EAN PHILLIPS TWIN CITIES.

>> Cathy: AND YOU GOT TO BE ON "ALMANAC" TONIGHT.