NH Warns Nation: We'll Go as Early as Dec. 6

It's all Nevada's fault, top election official says
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 13, 2011 4:52 AM CDT
NH Eyes December Primary
New Hampshire plans to shift the date as far up as necessary to keep its first-in-the-nation presidential primary and second-in-the-nation vote.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

New Hampshire may be forced to hold its GOP primary as early as Dec. 6, and it will be all Nevada's fault for moving up its caucus date, the Granite State's top election official warns. Secretary of State William Gardner says New Hampshire has no intention of surrendering its tradition of being the second state to choose a nominee, and the combination of state laws and the Christmas holiday make Dec. 6 or 13 the only realistic dates for a primary if Nevada refuses to move its date back by at least three days, Politico reports.

Iowa's caucus is set for Jan. 3, and Nevada's is schedule for Jan. 14. The parties "can discourage other states from trying to leapfrog onto our tradition," Gardner said in a statement. "Right now, the problem is the date of Nevada. We cannot allow the political process to squeeze us into a date that wedges us by just a few days between two major caucus states." Mitt Romney is expected to win in both New Hampshire and Nevada, but an early December win in New England will leave a long time, and probably a big loss in Iowa, between victories, notes Nate Silver at the New York Times. (More New Hampshire stories.)

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