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Fate of state official raises questions about NH primary
Source: Associated Press
Fate of state official raises questions about NH primary
By HOLLY RAMER
December 4, 2018
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The longtime protector of the New Hampshire presidential primary could get ousted by the Legislature this week despite concerns from his supporters that replacing him could jeopardize the state’s coveted first-in-the-nation status.
Lawmakers will decide on Wednesday whether to re-elect Bill Gardner as secretary of state, the official who oversees elections in New Hampshire. Gardner has held the position for 42 years and fiercely protects New Hampshire’s place on the primary calendar from other states that want the attention — and money — that comes along with being one of the first states to vote for president.
Gardner’s supporters say that replacing him with Colin Van Ostern — a longtime political operative and the 2016 Democratic nominee for governor — would politicize the office and could weaken the state’s case for staying first.
-snip-
Gardner, who is one of just three secretaries of state chosen by a state legislature, is under fire from fellow Democrats for his participation in President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud and for backing GOP legislation to tighten voter registration rules. That’s created an opening for Van Ostern, who has campaigned for months on a platform of modernizing the office, holding it accountable and resisting what he views as voter suppression measures.
-snip-
By HOLLY RAMER
December 4, 2018
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The longtime protector of the New Hampshire presidential primary could get ousted by the Legislature this week despite concerns from his supporters that replacing him could jeopardize the state’s coveted first-in-the-nation status.
Lawmakers will decide on Wednesday whether to re-elect Bill Gardner as secretary of state, the official who oversees elections in New Hampshire. Gardner has held the position for 42 years and fiercely protects New Hampshire’s place on the primary calendar from other states that want the attention — and money — that comes along with being one of the first states to vote for president.
Gardner’s supporters say that replacing him with Colin Van Ostern — a longtime political operative and the 2016 Democratic nominee for governor — would politicize the office and could weaken the state’s case for staying first.
-snip-
Gardner, who is one of just three secretaries of state chosen by a state legislature, is under fire from fellow Democrats for his participation in President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud and for backing GOP legislation to tighten voter registration rules. That’s created an opening for Van Ostern, who has campaigned for months on a platform of modernizing the office, holding it accountable and resisting what he views as voter suppression measures.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/f960f81e426e4c93a5e35f8157b43d9f
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