In perfect hindsight, perhaps it should not have come as such a shock. Independents can vote in the primary.
Voters almost pride themselves on knocking off front-runners.
In short, New Hampshire could hardly be better suited for an anti-Establishment underdog, or worse for an overwhelming favorite with the backing of party bosses, Big Labor and minorities. Yet Walter Mondale's aura of invincibility was such that almost everybody forgot about New Hampshire's quirky politics and unusual demographics. The Mondale campaign serenely cruised about the state in long motorcades, with scores of reporters and television crews in tow. Hart bounced around in vans, with few reporters and fewer TV cameras in sight. As he wandered into coffee shops, Hart seemed shy and diffident.