Josh Rogers

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum nearly won the Iowa caucuses on the strength of his retail campaigning across all of the state's counties — and his connection with Christian conservative voters. Now he's in New Hampshire, with just days to go before the first-in-the-nation primary. Santorum is trying to connect with independent-minded voters in a very secular state.

The former Massachusetts governor was citing lofty themes of patriotism on the campaign trail in New Hampshire Tuesday before heading off on a bus tour of Iowa.

A former Democrat turned Republican, he supports both the Tea Party and the Occupy Movement. The former Louisiana governor isn't going anywhere in the polls, but he is enjoying the ride.

Through public events, phone banks and door-to-door canvassing, the GOP presidential contenders are working full speed to reach out to voters in New Hampshire. Political strategists say a good ground game can make a difference at the ballot box.

Even in New Hampshire, old-fashioned retail campaigning is somewhat rare this election season. And an exchange Monday between GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and a Vietnam veteran may only reinforce the pattern. While shaking hands in a Manchester diner this morning, the former Massachusetts governor asked the vet if he could sit down to talk for a few minutes. What Romney couldn't have predicted is that the veteran is gay — and had a simple question on gay marriage.

Tea Party voters were expected to play a key role in the 2012 Republican presidential primary, but with movement hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry low in the polls, and Herman Cain now out of the race, the Tea Party vote remains very much in play. New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers reports.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has struggled to gain traction in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Huntsman, a former Obama administration ambassador to China, has has staked his whole campaign on New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary. But even in that moderate state, Huntsman's candidacy does not seem to be catching fire.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged to the top tier of the GOP presidential field after some strong debate performances and some blunders by his rivals. But he faces challenges in early-voting states like New Hampshire, where he has few staffers on the ground.

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire has been nominated by President Obama to serve as commerce secretary. The state's governor says he will appoint Republican Bonnie Newman to fill Gregg's seat, should he be confirmed.

In part two of All Things Considered's look at abortion today, we look at a New Hampshire abortion notification law case before the Supreme Court and public opinion. Then, we take a broader look at other abortion-related cases that might come before the high court in the future.