Defender of NH primary (a Dem) gets Dem challenger after serving Trump's voter-fraud panel
BY REID WILSON - 03/14/18 12:06 PM EDT
New Hampshire Democrats will mount a challenge to their state's longtime secretary of state later this year — even though the incumbent is also a Democrat.
Former state executive councillor Colin Van Ostern (D) will announce Wednesday he will campaign to replace Bill Gardner, the Secretary of State for the last 42 years.
Gardner, also a Democrat, is best known as the most ardent defender of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.
He has won election in the state legislature — New Hampshire is the only state where the legislature elects the secretary of state — even when Republicans have held control. But Gardner's participation in President Trump's now-defunct voter fraud panel earlier this year angered some New Hampshire Democrats.
Gardner has also backed Republican-sponsored legislation to restrict voting by students from out of state who attend college in New Hampshire, where they register to vote.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/378364-defender-of-new-hampshire-primary-gets-dem-challenger-after-serving