New Hampshire’s First in the Nation Primary tradition is in jeopardy after over a century. State law dictates that New Hampshire must go at least seven days before the next contest. However, the Democratic National Committee approved a 2023 primary calendar that would have the South Carolina Primary take place before New Hampshire.
Crier Editor-in-Chief Kathryn Williams spoke to New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlon who makes the final decision for all election dates – including the primary. Scanlon noted that the New Hampshire Primary has gone first for over 100 years, starting in 1920.
The Republican National Committee has decided to keep the traditional calendar of the Iowa caucus, followed by the New Hampshire Primary, followed by the South Carolina Primary, followed by Nevada, and then the other states,” he explained.The Democrats, on the other hand, want to swap New Hampshire and South Carolina and then have New Hampshire and Nevada go together three days after South Carolina.
The 1976 New Hampshire Primary law that mandates New Hampshire goes at least one week before any other Primary contest. Scanlon says the law “is designed to protect the First in the Nation Primary so that law will apply for the 2024 nominating election season, and so New Hampshire will go seven days before South Carolina.”
Sophomore Politics major Erin Motherway weighed in on the cultural value of the FITN tradition. Motherway said, “Like many things in politics, it’s just things that happen to be established and stay that way for a long time. Since 1920, it has been first, and I think that New Hampshire believes in its traditions and that it’s interesting and important to maintain some of those, and New Hampshire is very fond of being number one.”
Critics of the tradition cite a lack of diversity and small population size as key reasons why New Hampshire should not be first in the nation.Scanlon disagrees with this assessment. “Well, the detractors are looking for easy arguments to oppose the New Hampshire Primary, and so they have thrown out that we’re not diverse or we’re too privileged or too educated, and those are issues that are off the mark because every state is and their demographics are different as well,” he said.
From a student perspective, Motherway acknowledged the popular counterargument but emphasized the power of tradition. “They have a point in the sense that New Hampshire is one of the least diverse states in the country, but it has the most unique perspective on politics. Its history of being number one has established presidential campaigns for the last 100 years as well as the fact that it is a swing state, which makes it so important and so unique to the primary calendar.”
Iowa Republicans and Democrats have scheduled their caucuses for Jan. 15. However, the Democrats are considering a mail-in component due to the 15th being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which would challenge the FITN law. Scanlon says he won’t set a date for New Hampshire until there is a set plan in Iowa.
The 2020 New Hampshire Primary took place on Feb. 11. With Iowa having its caucus in January, it can be assumed that New Hampshire will also have their primary in the first month of 2024. Despite the uncertainty of the election date, New Hampshire remains a critical campaign stop for those seeking the executive office.
Candidates like Tim Scott and Nikki Haley come to the Granite State, and Saint Anselm College in particular, for Politics and Eggs and to deliver their economic plans to the state. Even Democrat Robert Kennedy Jr. has been spotted openly campaigning in New Hampshire, defying the Democratic calendar.