Portsmouth Herald
RAN 2/14/96, Pg. A3
By Lars Trodson 
Herald Staff
   PORTSMOUTH - Bill Clinton may not have any major opposition in New
Hampshire's presidential primary, but a Portsmouth family has been picked by
the Clinton/Gore campaign to urge Democrats to vote next week anyway.
   The family of John and Deborah Stokel - he is the principal of the
Portsmouth Middle School and she is the owner of a pre-school - are featured
in a brochure being mailed out to voters throughout the state. The brochure
includes quotes from five members of the Stokel family, including grandmother
Dotty Merrill and two children.
   Deborah Stokel said she wasn't sure how or why the family was chosen, but
they were very pleased with the way the project turned out.
   The fold-out brochure, printed on glossy paper with full-color
photographs, is an effort to get voters out to the polls during the New
Hampshire presidential primary Feb. 20.
   ``The Stokels are registered Independents, but they're voting in the
Democratic primary for President Clinton,'' the text of the brochure says.
``And they urge you and your family to do the same.''
   ``We were looking for a piece on a family who will support the president
and dramatize what's going on in Washington,'' said Jake Siewert, press
secretary for Clinton/Gore in New Hampshire.
   The Stokels were initially cautious about the venture.
   ``They told us from the very beginning they weren't going to put words in
our mouths, so we were responsible for what we were saying,'' said Mrs.
Stokel, who is owner of Lafayette Garden Pre-School. ``We had a wonderful
visit for about three hours.''
   After the interviews, the Chicago company putting together the brochure
faxed the family a rough draft. The family made some minor corrections - ``I
even made some political suggestions and they took them,'' said Mrs. Stokel -
and gave their blessing to the effort.
   Mrs. Stokel said the family's views and their statements were accurately
printed.
   ``If these are the kinds of people associated with President Clinton,''
she said, ``then he is a very honorable man.''
   The kind of push to get Democrats out to the primary next week in New
Hampshire proved to be a boon for Clinton in Iowa two days ago.
   Clinton received a record turnout among his party's faithful Monday night.
   According to Peter Willmert, communications director for the Iowa
Democratic Party, more than 50,000 Democrats went to the polls and voted for
Clinton. Willmert said this was more than double the number that voted for
Presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan when they were running unopposed in
Republican primaries in 1992 and 1984.
   Willmert said the Clinton showing was strong for another reason. In Iowa,
there are 582,845 registered Republicans, 567,936 Democrats and 514,393
Independents.
   But given the importance of the Republican primary, GOP operatives had
hoped for a turnout of about 150,000. Fewer than 100,000 votes were cast.