At candidate nights throughout the Granite State, AARP volunteers have fanned out, determined to ask the presidential hopefuls courting their votes what they would do about two of the most important issues facing older Americans: Social Security and caregiving. This army of volunteers is part of AARP’s voter engagement campaign, which started with early primaries and will expand to every state and U.S. territory as their elections near.

Mary Roberge, 76, is a team captain for volunteers in the first-in-the-nation primary state. Since the beginning of 2023, she figures, she’s been to more than 35 events. She marshals her team to attend candidate stops throughout the state, making sure folks arrive early to get front-row seats so candidates are looking right at AARP volunteers. She’s convinced that her presence, along with her fellow volunteers, makes a difference.

“It makes these issues real,” Roberge says. “It’s not just something that you read or have seen on the news.”

Before volunteers go to events to represent AARP, they attend training to ensure that they know what AARP’s message is and how best to broach it with the candidates. AARP staff stresses that the organization is nonpartisan and that it’s important to personalize questions and comments to candidates.

“Social Security and Medicare may not be in the news every day because there are so many issues out there right now,” says Christina FitzPatrick, AARP New Hampshire state director. “So if AARP isn’t going to raise the question of what leaders are going to do to protect Social Security and Medicare, there is no other group that would do that.”

In Merrimack, facing the red fleece brigade, Christie prefaced his remarks about Social Security with: “This is for our folks sitting in the front row.” AARP’s message was received.