intensity and the enthusiasm that i saw in that hall yesterday and that i'm seeing around the state. it is pretty exciting here in iowa. host: some are calling this the most open republican primary since 1940. that goes back a long way. guest: i think that is correct. i don't think there is any front runner here in iowa. i think those candidates who come here often and communicate with the voters one-on-one and set up a good infrastructure and organization and have a fair shot. i think it is anybody's guess as to who might come out on top in 2016 here in the caucuses. host: who was the audience at the freedom summit? guest: people from all over the state, activists. i would guess 99.9% of the people in that audience will go to their caucuses. so this is their first point of entry by which to gain information as to where candidate stands, how they interact with people, their perceptions of how they might

fit in as a nominee for 2016. host: let me ask about the demographics of new hampshire. it's a very different set of voters that candidates are going after from the iowa caucuses which tend to be more conservative. and the demographics of the new hampshire primary. explain the difference, if you would. guest: the primary is open to lots more voters, including independents. whereas the iowa caucus is restricted to republicans. independents are allowed to vote in the republican primary if they choose. while evangelicals are an important part, they don't dominate in new hampshire the way they might in iowa. it is a much more full spectrum republican party. from that candidates find in new

host: we have a line set aside for those of you who live in new hampshire or ohio. that number is (202)748-0003. you can also join the conversation -- a lot of you sharing thoughts on our facebook page. or send us a tweet. fergus cullen, mitt romney says he is thinking about a third bid for the white house. what is your reaction? guest: there is a lot of respect for mitt romney here. there is a lot of goodwill. he has campaigned here twice before. in 2008, he received 32% of the vote. he built on that in 2012 and one won the primary going away with 39% of the vote. it's a large base of people who like and respect him and wish he were president today. what i am not necessarily sensing is a great deal of enthusiasm for a third bid. there is interest and respect. he has to hold onto a

significant portion of the base he has established, but not all of it. i think a lot of those voters will be open to considering other candidates. they are well disposed towards mitt romney. again, broadly like and respected within the party. whether there is an appetite for third bid remains be seen. host: steve scheffler, what about iowa voters on mitt romney? guest: people want to take a look at the candidates. even though people like mitt romney, rick santorum have a reservoir support, they will be looking anew and trying to wegh weigh each candidate. host: we were live all day yesterday with the freedom summit. all of it is on our website,

including many of the news conferences that took place in an adjoining room. part of our coverage on the road to the white house 2016. among those speaking, senator ted cruz, the possibility of two texas politicians, ted cruz and rick perry running for president. here is what he had to say. [video clip] >> i was once out in west texas and i said, the thing about folks from epa, unlike lettuce locusts you can't use pesticide , against them. an old farmer looked at me and said, wanna bet? [laughter] and the most important regulatory reform we could do is we need to repeal every word of obamacare. [applause] we need tax reform, and the most important tax reform we could do is we need to abolish the irs.

[end video clip] host: what kind of reaction did he get? guest: he got a phenomenal reaction. i think he gets the reaction he does because iowans are keen on watching what their elected officials do. they know the obama administration has gone way beyond its constitutional duties and rights. there is frustration on the part of iowans and americans and they don't want to see another extension of the obama administration with a hillary clinton or whoever that might be. they are really dedicated to seeing a republican elected in 2016. host: this is the headline from bloomberg politics on ted cruz "make sure the candidates prove that they are conservative." that became part of the message yesterday, as well as the "miracle of america" that he referred to. he was really laying out what

many suspect is the start of his own campaign. on the message of trying to prove the candidates are conservative, where does that put the republican party? guest: he seems to have built his brand by saying that other mainstream conservatives are sellouts or compromisers. i think that puts him in a pretty small blocks. i am looking for a little more pragmatism from senator cruz. a sense of awareness that he needs to get 50% of the vote nationally and not just win over audiences like that one yesterday in iowa. i haven't seen that from senator cruz yet. host: what about jeb bush? he gave a lengthy speech on some

of the issues he would run on, including immigration and education. guest: i think the more candidates we have in iowa, the better. that way, the iowa voters have a wide range of options. i would welcome him to come here. i hope he comes to iowa and engages with people one-on-one. because of the schedule this year after iowa, new hampshire south carolina, the more that he can be here to engage with people one on one and the american people, would be helpful. he needs to come here sooner than later, in my view. host: more from yesterday's speeches. another governor chris christie of new jersey, who was one of the final speakers at the event. [video clip] >> for too long, republicans have tried to squeeze out victories and pick up a few extra votes in places like ohio and florida. if our conservatism is really going to succeed, it must be able to defend itself in every

part of this country. there are americans, i know this, in every state, who share our goals, who want to work with us, and we should be appealing to all of them. you see, if we are going to restore and renew this country and its promise, we need a coalition that covers all parts of the country, all ethnicities, a coalition comprised at its core of our proud yet underserved and underrepresented working-class in this country. [end video clip] host: let me ask you about how he is playing in new hampshire. he made a number of appearances in the midterm elections for a republican candidate for governor who lost. guest: chris christie spent a lot of time in new hampshire. he did something very shrewd in new hampshire last year. chris christie salted operatives

from his new jersey operation into the statewide campaigns of scott brown, our u.s. senate nominee, the republican governor nominee, and also at the state republican party. he has his own crew of operatives in the state who have built their own rolodex is of people they can reach out to, have personal relationships with that they can now extend on , behalf of chris christie. he is in the sweet spot of the new hampshire electorate. the message that you just rolled tape on is one that will go over well with new hampshire voters. host: he has been to iowa 11 times in the last couple of years. guest: it was great that he came . for the long-term picture, he benefited or helped himself. if he would be the nominee, i think this crowd would remember that he came here and tried to have a conversation with them.

maybe not so much for the short term, but for the long-term i think he did himself a lot of good by being here and engage in with voters. host: we want to get your phone calls. before we do so, fergus cullen you are writing a book on the new hampshire primary. we can across an interesting piece. this photograph dates back to 1960. the vote in new hampshire giving nixon nine votes. kennedy, no votes. john f. kennedy winning that race in 1960. the first in the nation primary and first in the nation vote that takes place every year -- the fight just a first -- the fight to stay first. they insist that they will again be ready to host the first of the nation vote that takes place. explain why this is so important for the people of new hampshire. guest: it is a tiny town in the north country that is dominated

by one resort hotel. every candidate, republican or democrat, has made the pilgrimage to this place over the years. they cast votes starting at midnight on election day. they close the ballots when every member of the community has voted, which typically happens before 12:30 a.m. in the morning. they have to keep the polls open as long as everyone is voting. everyone has to be in on the deal. if there is one holdout, it has to be all day. it is an example of how new hampshire and iowa work. they are not all going to win. in fact most of them are going , to lose. one reason why iowa and new hampshire have worked historically is because the defeated candidates go home and said, i had my shot, i was given a fair hearing, i have no complaints about the process. that is embodied by these communities and across the state

of new hampshire and iowa. host: there are a couple of other locations. guest: there is a much bigger community, something like 80 registered voters. these towns, it is a community activity. every member of the community who is registered to vote has to agree to show up at midnight. they make celebration of it. it is a great moment of democracy. they hold their town hall in somebody's basement. that's where the town meeting is held in march every year. host: when is your book coming out? guest: it looks like in the summer. among other things, today is the anniversary of when john f. kennedy launched his presidential campaign in 1960.

he was speaking to a rotary club that day. host: good morning. thank you for waiting. caller: i heard something very frightening yesterday after ben carson was done and they were questioning him. someone asked him if he thought women who had abortions or doctors who performed them should be put in jail. to me, that was very frightening. i wondered how your guests felt about that. i think that would really sink the women vote. you are going to let low-level drug offenders out of jail and replace the now with women that have had abortions. host: do you want to respond? guest: i can't comment on that. i never heard that conversation. i have no knowledge of that particular conversation at all. host: the house of representatives pulling a vote that would restrict late-term abortions after 20 weeks, many

saying that was done with an eye on 2016. fergus cullen, your thoughts? guest: it's always an issue in primaries. here in new hampshire i've seen polling data that suggests 1/3 of the electorate describes themselves as strongly pro-choice another third as strongly pro-life, and another third in the middle. there will be candidates on both sides of the issue. and the chips will fall where they may, politically. host: another moment for -- from yesterday's event. [video clip] >> like hillary clinton, i too have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe. but unlike her, i have managed

to accomplish a lot of things. [applause] you see, mrs. clinton, flying is not an accomplishment. it is an activity. [laughter] i have met vladimir putin. and i know that it takes far more than a red reset button to curb his ambition. having served as the chairman of the advisory board of the senate intelligence agency, i know that china and north korea, and russia are state sponsors of cyber warfare. i know that china has a strategy to steal our intellectual property. i know benjamin netanyahu. i know that when he warns us that i run is a threat to our nation and to his own, that we must listen.

[end of clip] guest: she made a great impression and did here so a lot of good by coming to this forum. caller: it was frightening to hear about the attacks on scott walker's life. what impressed me where they candidates who had faith as

their basis. i think that is what we need to get back to. also i just thought that they were very good in expressing their faith and that really impressed me. host: thank you for the call. scott walker did survive a recall, he did faced death threats. how you think it's going to impact the narrative that he will put forth in his own candidacy? guest: the fact that he has been through difficult campaigns for republicans, and has won three times in the last four years is very impressive. we need a candidate who can win a general election. that's a really important

criteria. he has demonstrated he can do that. plus, republican primary voters tend to like governors and their records of a congressman. i think he will be able to find a broad audience in this. it sounds like he did himself a lot of favors yesterday with a speech there. he will be in new hampshire in a couple of weeks. he will be his first visited here and write some time. i think the be a lot of interest in him. host: he concluded by saying that he was going to come back. it doesn't matter what class you were born into. it does not matter what your parents did for a living. in america the opportunity is equal for each and every one of us, but in america, the ultimate outcome is up to each and everyone of us individually.

[applause] you see there is a reason why in , america we take a day off to celebrate the fourth of july and not the 15th of april. in america we value your , independence from the government, not our dependence on it, to keep that going forward. [end video clip] host: governor scott walker from our coverage yesterday. we will go to the independent line. good morning. you are on the air. go ahead, please. caller: there are white folks and then there are ignorant -- host: i'm going to move on. we apologize for that type of call and comment. robert from south carolina democrats line. good morning. caller: george bush ran into

2000 as a compassionate conservative. where is the the compassion? guest: i think republicans are talking about people being able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. the message to republicans is being able to find a job, being independent and productive in society, not dependent on government as most of the democrats propose. host: this is a headline from "the houston chronicle." senator senator cruz, former senator perry setting the tone. two texans battling for the nomination. how likely is that? and how will this impact what you will see in new hampshire?

guest: governor perry is scheduled to return to new hampshire in a couple of weeks. he will be in dover, new hampshire, for a speech. i hope to see him there. this is his second time around. his first time around didn't go so well. i think he will be given a second chance to make a first impression, but he is burdened by the campaign he ran last time, which was very disappointing to a lot of people. came in with a lot of hype. got a lot of people endorsing him early, but then he let those people down throughout the course of the campaign. i think he is going to get that second hearing. people are going to give him a chance. we will see whether it ends up being something that can move forward or not. as for ted cruz, he campaigns very well at the base of the party. he seems to distinguish himself by picking fights with other republicans and suggesting that a lot of mainstream conservatives are some kind of sellouts. i don't think a lot of people appreciate that. whether both those candidacies

can survive to the filing. , i'm skeptical that that will happen. host: we will go to la mirada, california. caller: good morning. i'm going to voice my opinion that the best candidates to be electable for the republican party would be mike huckabee and dr. ben carson as vice president. i have watched mike huckabee for years. i've watched his show. he doesn't change his opinions. his plans for the country are just as right on with the republican audience. he wants to close the borders. he wants to strengthen our security, especially when it comes to supporting israel. i'm in favor of supporting israel much more than our president obama has done. host: thanks very much for the call. fergus cullen. my cup of the another candidate who

has run before, coming back essentially in 2016. guest: he did well. in new hampshire, he only got 11% of the vote. he was almost an also-ran. he finished third in that race well behind john mccain and mitt romney. his particular brand that year being evangelical conservative strong on social issues, did not sell nearly as well in new hampshire as it did in iowa. it remains to be seen what kind of campaign he is going to run this time around. as for dr. carson, he obviously has a great biography and very interesting story. whether this prevents him well as a national candidate for federal office is another question. in 2012, we had a lot of weekweak republican candidates

running for president who may be did not deserve to be taken as seriously as some of them were. it remains to be seen whether ben carson is that kind of candidate or can be adding a substantive part of the debate. host: heard coast-to-coast on c-span radio, the conversation on republican party politics and the 2016 presidential race -- steve scheffler is joining us from des moines. he is with the iowa faith and freedom coalition. and joining us from new hampshire is fergus cullen, the former chair of the new hampshire republican party. next, a caller from massachusetts. independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. please don't cut me off. to all the people in america, i want you to listen. hello? host: we can hear you. go ahead.

caller: all the american people, i want you to listen to this. president reagan, when he got into the white house, he had $800 in deficit and took it to $17 trillion. when president clinton get in there, he took it down. president bush took it back up to $17 trillion. who would you want in america in a situation like that? now the gas prices are going down. why are gas prices going down? president obama. all the national gas in america should not be exported to another country and sold to another country. it should stay in america. that's why gas prices are going down. nobody is saying that. thank you. hillary for the white house.

host: glenn from massachusetts. thank you. comment from either of you? guest: i think this facts are not right on. i guess you have to put that in perspective and i guess we could be here all day discussing all of that. his facts are just not in good perspective. host: i want to ask you about jeb bush. he was in san francisco for a paid speech for the national automobile association. he began his speech talking about his brother. so much discussion about bush fatigue. here's a reference he made to his brother, the former president, george w. bush. [video clip] >> a lot of people ask about my brother. he has been kind of out of the limelight. and since you asked, marvin is doing spectacularly well. [laughter] george and laura are doing well. he has become a painter. who would have thunk it? he's actually really good at it because he is a person of incredible determination, like many of you in this room.

when he sets a goal, he works hard to achieve it. i like and admire the fact that he has self restraint, something that would be hard for me to do. i think he has been very respectful of his successor and hasn't been out on television sniping away, making -- challenging president obama. it might be tough for him to do that, i don't know, but i respect the fact that as a former he has allowed the president to serve. it is a noble tradition that i hope continues in this country. i love my brother and i love his service to this country. [applause] host: jeb bush in san francisco. the full event is on our website. you hear him talk about george w. bush. the references to bush fatigue. your comments?

guest: the bush name comes with some baggage, but i don't think there is any question that it is not positive in a republican primary. there is a double-edged sword. jeb has a strong record of his own as governor in florida. the message he delivered in san francisco i thought was excellent and an important counterpoint to some of the messages we heard coming out of iowa yesterday. with respect to that event, it is important to note that mitt romney and jeb bush, marco rubio and rand paul stayed away from it. those are arguably four of the five leading candidates in this race. they didn't want to be associated with steve king. they were leery of looking like they were pandering to the base. jeb bush said that not what my candidacy is going to be about. last time around, we had a series deficit of serious

candidates. jeb bush adds depth to that field. that is impressive. host: your comments? the conversation with jeb bush? guest: i think he needs to come here to iowa. i would disagree with cullen a little bit in regards to people yesterday just pandering to the base. joni ernst has a conservative voting record. she clicked with iowans. many times as candidates dived to the center too much they lose , the center. it is important that candidates don't have a mushy message, are articulate, and show how they can improve things in the country. host: this is the headline from

"the des moines register your co-." randy from virginia, good morning. caller: i think the republicans need to have a more specific agenda. more like the contract with america when they had it. and say we will do this, this, and this. i think they need to focus on the economy and jobs and energy. i think the health care issue is important, but coming up with an alternative to that would be a mistake. thank you. host: fergus cullen, did you want to answer comment? guest: the republican response on health care can't be don't get hurt, don't get old, don't get sick. we need to have a message on health care that acknowledges this is a serious concern.