Nashua, N.H. – Most polls opened at 8 a.m. for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primaries. In Nashua, they opened at 6 a.m.

Bicentennial Elementary School, the voting site of Ward 8, saw its 3,000th voter at about 6:30 p.m, Throughout the day, supporters stood alongside the road next to the school with signs in support of the various candidates.

Nashua resident Dave Maclaughlin was there in support of Ariz. Rep. John McCain, whom he sees as a “true American hero.” Maclaughlin voted at 4 p.m. but said he had been there since 6 in the morning.

Maclaughlin said he admires McCain’s immigration and campaign finance views and appreciates his bipartisanship.

“[McCain] has an uncanny ability to reach across the aisle to try to come up with a compromise,” he said.

Not all of those who showed up at the elementary school were there to vote. Arkansas resident Harry Truman Moore had already made the trip to Iowa and also came to New Hampshire in support of N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Moore said he preferred New Hampshire’s primary process to Iowa’s caucus system. He said a problem he has with the Iowa caucuses is that they’re not a “true reflection” of how all the voters in Iowa feel. He said he had talked to people in Iowa who supported Clinton that were not able to make it to the caucuses.

Andrew Wilson, a student from Florida, made the trip and was standing in support for N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson. He said he came up from Florida to see what the New Hampshire primaries were all about. Wilson said Richardson’s credentials impressed him.

“[I look] at his record of job creation, and then also he has a great deal of experience in foreign policy,” he said.

Wilson was still optimistic despite Richardson’s fourth-place finish in Iowa.

“Truth be told, I think the results in Iowa were great. We’re down to the final four and we’re going to see what happens,” Wilson said. “That’s pretty important in college basketball – it’s pretty good in politics, too, right?”