The New Hampshire towns of Epping and Newmarket are part of an extraordinary streak — for half a century they've been dead on in forecasting the winners of the state's presidential primary.
In Epping, voters have predicted who would win the Democratic primary; in Newmarket they've predicted the Republican winner.
"We just know what we're doing, that's all," says Elaine Gatchell.
Joe Denocour agrees.
"(We're) just everyday people ... and the average is usually the one that wins out in the end," he says.
Mark Valone of Epping speculates that his granddad, Thomas Fecto, had something to do with Epping's ability to pick a winner.
Streak Dates to 1930s
From the 1930s to the 1970s, Thomas Fecto ran a popular country store.
"He could speak English well, and a lot of people in town couldn't. And so a lot of them worked in the shoe shops or the brick yard or on the farm. Those were his constituents," Valone says.
Not only did Fecto have constituents, but New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner says the man had a national reputation in Democratic circles.
"Anytime any Democrat was going to do anything in Epping, Tom Fecto would be the person they would talk to first," Gardner says. "He was Mr. Democrat of Epping."
Fecto met with the nation's most prominent Democrats since Harry Truman in the 1940s.
Valone says his grandfather had a sharp political eye.
"He supported Kennedy in '60, Johnson in '64 and '68. He supported Muskie in '72, Carter in '76 and '80. (In) '84, I don't know how he went. In '88, I know he was a big Dukakis fan," Valone recalls.
Fecto almost always backed the primary winner, but he hasn't been around for the past three or four races.
But Valone, who is also the town's Democratic Party chairman, has a thought about the more recent contests, too. He believes geography has something to do with Epping's stellar record.
"We are halfway between Portsmouth and Manchester," Valone observes. "And the Portsmouth Democrats are much more liberal than the Manchester ones, and we are sort of a mix. So, I think we are a good smattering of everybody who makes up the party just in this small town.
GOP Candidates Don't Visit
The residents in the neighboring town of Newmarket have been equally successful in picking the Republican winner.
While the streak here is harder to explain, it may be more impressive because historically Republicans make up such an extremely small voting bloc in town.
In 1952, when the record started, only 185 of them voted out of more than 1,700 ballots cast.
But this tiny population has somehow, time and time again, captured the prevailing attitudes of state Republicans.
Even so, Jay Dougal says, GOP candidates never stop for a visit.
"John Edwards was here. Hillary stopped by for tea. As far as specific individuals, it's kind of funny, I don't recall any Republicans coming through Newmarket," Dougal says.
These GOP candidates aren't the only ones who don't know about Newmarket's impressive track record. Most locals are ignorant of it, too.
When residents learn about it, though, they are instantly proud.
Cynthia Harris says she hopes the trend continues.
"Now, I'm thinking you are jinxing it. I'm getting nervous," she says.
Harris has a right to be concerned. In just the past 20 years, 52 other bellwether cities and towns have dropped by the wayside.
And any statistician will tell you, Epping and Newmarket will go the same way — eventually.
With tight races on both sides Tuesday, Gardner is just going to relish the fact that the streak lasted through 14 primaries.
"I don't know whether they will keep their record. They've been pretty good at keeping it, so I wouldn't want to bet too much against it," he says.
Dan Gorenstein reports for New Hampshire Public Radio in Concord, NH.
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