Why does new hampshire get the first primary

For a brief reminder of the differences between primaries and caucuses, check out an earlier post by the author. The New Hampshire primary has a rich history that goes back to Since then, it has had the privilege of being the first presidential primary election in the nation, though a change in voting rules and procedures in ensured that the primary was the first time the election developed its nationwide importance.

Some commentators have expressed dissatisfaction over the power that Iowa and New Hampshire hold in the nominating process. One particular gripe is that the demographic makeups of Iowa and New Hampshire are far from analogous to that of America writ large. Others lament that candidates are pressured to support particular special interests in Iowa and New Hampshire in order to garner support on the ground and perform well in the state. Despite these worries, the quadrennial pilgrimage of presidential candidates and the press corps to the Hawkeye and Granite States has become a part of the American democratic experience.

Yes, some deride the frantic media coverage of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries, or assert that the process should be restructured. The images below in this online exhibition are a sampling of our collection. We also invite you to enjoy these additional resources on the New Hampshire primary:.

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Listen to or read our special issue of Historical New Hampshire that focuses on the history of the New Hampshire primary. The audio version of this publication is available to download for free, and the printed publication can be ordered through our online store.

Your E-mail has been sent. Share via E-mail Enter the E-mail Address that you'd like to send this page to. E-mail to: This field is required. Email must be in proper format. There was also a lot of drama in both the Republican and Democratic fields of candidates that election year, and the results of the New Hampshire primary early in the process had an effect on the race.

Many have referred to the inconsequential vote directly on the candidates as just setting up "a beauty contest," but it brought New Hampshire lots of attention and some sway, some influence in the presidential race. That's the fourth birthday Gfroerer referred to in his talk, and the state still has a few years before celebrating that centennial.

Two subsequent years that will most likely warrant centennial celebrations of their own include , when State Rep.

Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, wrote the law allowing the secretary of state to set the primary date earlier than the March Election Day by seven days if necessary. The law was later fine-tuned to fight off repeated challenges by other states as election reforms made the state primaries more important in the process.

The other is , when Democratic state Rep. Bill Gardner was elected secretary of state at age A strong and staunch supporter of the New Hampshire primary's first-in-the-nation status, he has been kept in office by both Democratic and Republican legislatures since then, and has been a force in maintaining the primary's prominence. Some of the drama of that presidential primary added to the New Hampshire primary's cachet, according to Gfroerer.

In , Estes Kefauver, a U. Senate committee investigating organized crime and held public hearings across the country. Kefauver decided to run for the Democratic Party's nomination in the presidential election and he came early to New Hampshire to campaign for the primary.

He would stop anywhere, participate in any activity, to get the chance to shake voters' hands and garner press attention for his campaign. Because he was so popular, coverage of his campaigning in New Hampshire was published and broadcast nationwide. Truman, the sitting president of the United States. Truman then withdrew his bid for re-election.

He won 12 of the 15 primaries in and received 3. But delegates were still very powerful and Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, who got only 78, votes, became the party's nominee.