Does New Hampshire really matter?

The quick answer would be yes, New Hampshire matters immensely in the presidential race. But for a state that only has four electoral votes, it sure seems like a lot of fuss for nothing. Why is New Hampshire so important?

Obviously from the number of campaign stops, the presidential contenders recognize the state's importance. They remember that it was New Hampshire's four electoral votes that tipped the scales in George Bush's favor in 2000 and therefore it was these four electoral votes that cost Al Gore the presidency.

A recent study conducted by the University of New Hampshire also finds that a third of potential voters this election have just recently become eligible to vote. The same study also finds that these new voters are far more likely to identify with the Democratic party than Republicans, seconding other studies that have shown New Hampshire becoming increasingly bluer as time goes by, or, as some put it, New Hampshire should now be color-coded "purple."

These findings, from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, are based on analysis by three experts -- in demography, polling, and election registration data -- of recently released demographic, polling and voter registration data.

All of these findings simply leave one to wonder whether New Hampshire can even be defined as a swing state anymore. I guess we'll find out on November 4.