KILLEEN, TX- “We’re a lot different from Washington State,” said John Crutchfield, president of Killeen, Texas’ Chamber of Commerce.

We met Crutchfield on a whim, after driving through this mid-size, conservative town that encompasses military base Fort Hood. After a stop at the Chamber of Commerce, his secretary lead us into his office, which featured a framed Texas flag on the wall.

Crutchfield leaned back in his chair and crossed his leg (revealing his cowboy boots) and told us this was indeed Republican country.

However, he said locals are ready for this campaign to end so they can quit hearing about it.

“If Democrats would’ve decided this earlier, we wouldn’t be under a magnifying glass,” Crutchfield said.

Killeen contains one of the largest military instillations in the country, with over 54,000 soldiers stationed there. Crutchfield said the character of the American soldiers permeates this community. Many people marry into military families or are retired servicemen. He said this biases them in certain ways.

“The people here are probably the most active in fighting the War on Global Terror and Bush is very popular,” he said.

When President Bush vacations at his ranch, he attends church in town and also takes time to address troops at Fort Hood. Crutchfield described him as a “good neighbor.”

When asked about Sen. Mike Huckabee’s influence, Crutchfield said he didn’t have much traction here. He’s lacking the access John McCain has, such as Chief Economic Adviser and former Texas Senator, Phil Graham. Graham has very good standing in the state, and at one point worked as a professor at Texas A&M. Crutchfield thinks his backing of McCain is helping; but he can’t pinpoint how popular McCain is in Killeen.

“I don’t see any McCain signs or bumper stickers anywhere,” he said. “Maybe if McCain was more of a conservatives, conservative there would be more.”

While most of the excitement tomorrow will be focused on the Democrats, Crutchfield said he expects a few voters to attend caucus.

Some will vote, he said, to influence voting. Many want Hillary Clinton to win the nomination because she’ll be easier for Republicans to beat.

“I don’t think Texans have a heavy sentiment for voting, even though the national media says we will make a difference. It’s more like, go out and vote and if you’re not going to, don’t complain about it.”

Crutchfield suspects the military population will come out in higher numbers. Fort Hood has a $12 billion dollar a year impact on Texas’ economy and the voting outcome could have nation-wide effects on the eventual victor.

And he said he has a hunch.

“If I was a bettin’ man, I’d say it’ll go to McCain,” he said. “These folks are committed to the War on Terror.”

Will Mari contributed to this story