The presidential campaigns and the media might not have to worry about campaigning around New Year’s in Iowa and New Hampshire — because New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is now threatening to hold the state’s key early primary in December, if Nevada doesn’t change its January 14 date. Indeed, Garder is considering moving the date all the way up to either December 6th or 13th, in an effort to retain the state’s traditional position.
Gardner released a statement Wednesday afternoon, entitled “Why New Hampshire’s Primary Tradition Is Important.” In it, Gardner responded to the rush of the other official party-sanctioned early states moving up their primaries after Florida jumped the line into January. The key quote, with emphasis in the original:
OPTIONS FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE’S PRIMARY DATE. With Florida moving its primary earlier than originally planned to January 31st, and South Carolina making a move to set its primary ten days earlier to January 21st, that began to limit options for setting our date in January. When officials in Nevada set their caucus for Saturday, January 14th, that left Tuesday, January 3rd as a possibility for us, but Iowa officials tentatively decided that their caucus would be on that day.
…
IT’S REALLY UP TO NEVADA.IT’S REALLY UP TO NEVADA. If Nevada does not accept a date of Tuesday, January 17th or later for its caucus, it leaves New Hampshire no choice but to consider December of this year. The dates of Tuesday, December 13th, ,and Tuesday, December 6th are realistic options, and we have logistics in place to make either date happen if needed. Candidates have been campaigning here, and elsewhere, for months, and it is about time we begin the next stage of the presidential nominating process. If Nevada does not accept a date of Tuesday, January 17th or later for its caucus, it leaves New Hampshire no choice but to consider December of this year. The dates of Tuesday, December 13th, ,and Tuesday, December 6th are realistic options, and we have logistics in place to make either date happen if needed. Candidates have been campaigning here, and elsewhere, for months, and it is about time we begin the next stage of the presidential nominating process.
