Laconia, NH - Despite the reports of some polls, it still appears that the New Hampshire Primary is still anybody’s race. According to this article by Michael Cousineau in today’s Union Leader (Manchester, NH), there are still a large number of undecided voters in the Granite State.

Manchester pollster Dick Bennett said 47 percent of voters polled, including 13 percent who call themselves undecided, are open to changing their minds before Tuesday’s primary voting.

Tonight’s debate between the seven remaining Democratic candidates may well be the deciding factor. The nationally televised debate, airing between 8 and 10 PM EST tonight on Fox News, will be the last one before Tuesday’s primary.

“The voters are telling us they’re going to watch the debate and they’re looking for a signal,” Bennett said. “They want to be able to figure out who to vote for.”

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“People who are going to vote on Tuesday who remain uncommitted on Thursday will be looking at that debate having presorted in their own mind that they want to measure X and Y,” said former state Democratic Party chairman Joe Grandmaison.

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“Many people who have been following the campaign will be watching in order to begin making their final decisions, if they haven’t already. And for many people who are casually interested in politics, this may be their first good look at the candidates,” said Union Leader senior political reporter John DiStaso, one of the debate panelists.

“So, it has the potential to be the turning point in the primary campaign,” DiStaso said.

While Bennett’s poll shows Kerry leading Dean in New Hampshire 31% to 21%, a Boston Globe poll shows a far closer race with Kerry at 27% and Dean at 24%.

Second place finisher in the Iowa Caucus, John Edwards, is fourth in New Hampshire in most polls, but sees tonight’s debate as an opportunity to close the gap.

The unsettled electorate “helps me tremendously,” Edwards said. “It was exactly what was going on in Iowa in the last week.”

This may be the last chance for the candidates to make their case before New Hampshire voters. As has happened in the past, all it takes is for a candidate to have a memorable response to a question from a moderator or comment from one of his opponents to make or break their campaign. All one needs to do is remember Ronald Reagan’s outburst at a debate in New Hampshire during the 1980 presidential campaign - “I’m paying for this microphone!” It was the turning point in his run for the presidency. It could be that each of the seven Democratic candidates are hoping for just such a turning point themselves.