GOP candidates pitch to win in N.H.

EXETER, N.H. - A day after placing third in the Iowa caucuses, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told New Hampshire voters here Tuesday that he would "unite this party and the conservative movement."

Gov. Christie, who garnered less than 2 percent of the vote in Iowa, went on offense, ripping Rubio as a scripted "boy in the bubble" while continuing to paint Rubio and GOP caucus winner Ted Cruz as inexperienced.

As the presidential race moved to New Hampshire - one week before the primary - the winners in Iowa sought to capitalize on momentum, while others argued that the race remained an open contest.

Christie was quick to downplay his Iowa finish.

"Nothing really changed," Christie told voters in an American Legion hall in Epping, though he cited the caucus results to question businessman Donald Trump's front-runner status - and the state of the race - in New Hampshire.

"The inevitability of the Trump train has slowed down," Christie said, referring to Cruz's besting Trump in Iowa. (Earlier in the day, Christie needled Trump: "The guy who does nothing but win lost.")

But some New Hampshire voters were drawing conclusions from the caucuses - and ruling out some lower-polling candidates.

"You want to pick one of the ones that seem to have a chance," said Tom Wharton, 70, a cardiologist, who saw Rubio in Exeter and was considering the top three Iowa finishers, though "probably" voting for Rubio.

Wharton praised Christie's "direct style" and Ohio Gov. John Kasich's record, "but those two came out pretty low." Kasich also got less than 2 percent of the Iowa vote.

In New Hampshire, Christie also trails rivals, but his campaign has promoted a chance for the race to shift among still-undecided voters.

Pushing back on the argument that Rubio's finish narrowed the Republican field to three, Christie strategist Mike DuHaime maintained Tuesday that there was "room in the race for one of the governors to emerge."

"I do not think the other 49 states are going to be comfortable" with a race consisting of "two U.S. senators and Donald Trump," DuHaime said.

Pressing his case for experience Tuesday, Christie told voters that Rubio had been a senator for five years, and "for two of those years, he's been running for president."

Christie cast himself as the candidate most capable of defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton, asserting that after her finish in Iowa - where she narrowly topped Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders - "she's going to be the Democratic nominee."

Republicans "need to put someone tough and tested up there, or we're going to lose," Christie said at the Epping event, where he fielded questions on topics including abortion and gay marriage, "sanctuary" cities for undocumented immigrants, and airport security. ("You know what else is inconvenient? Getting blown up on a plane," Christie told the questioner, a young man who argued that screening was too invasive.)

To a woman who asked about his "hothead" reputation, Christie said there was a rationale for his style - "I get angry at injustice," he said - and argued that it would serve the country well to have a fiery leader.

"We got no-drama Obama right now," Christie said. "We need somebody who's going to go down there with a sense of urgency."

The woman, Lynn Badger, approved of Christie's answer. "I don't want somebody to fly off the handle," said Badger, a retiree who lives in Newmarket. But "he's tough. We need somebody tough."

She and her husband also are considering Kasich but were impressed by Christie. "He made the point - who can be on the stage" against Clinton, John Badger said. "I think of all the candidates, he's the best guy."

In Exeter, Rubio made the same argument. "You know who does not want to run against me? Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton," he said.

Several voters said Rubio had a better chance than rivals of winning a general election. "I think he's more electable in the fall," said Glenn Page, a customs compliance specialist in Greenland.

Page also favors Cruz, but the Texas senator "seems to be disliked by a lot of people," he said after the rally, where Rubio spoke for about 30 minutes.

Rubio didn't take questions from voters but told the crowd he would start a town-hall series Wednesday.

Christie told reporters Tuesday that it was time for Rubio to "man up and step up and stop letting all of his handlers write his speeches and handle him."

"Maybe he'll answer more than two questions at a town-hall meeting and do more than 40 minutes on a little stage, telling everybody his canned speech that he's memorized," Christie said.

Some voters left Rubio's event with a different impression. "All I can say is, wow," said Suzanne Fantasia, 65, of Greenland. She saw Rubio, who spoke of the struggles faced by his immigrant parents and called on conservatives to reach more working-class voters, as "very inspiring."

mhanna@phillynews.com

856-779-3232@maddiehanna

www.philly.com/christiechronicles

WHAT'S NEXT

CNN Town Hall

When: 9 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Derry, N.H.

Candidates: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders

Moderator: Anderson Cooper

GOP DEBATE

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

TV: ABC

Where: St. Anselm College, Manchester, N.H.

Moderators: David Muir and Martha Raddatz