New Hampshire’s top election official emceed a bipartisan celebration Tuesday afternoon, as current and past leaders reflected on the state’s ongoing efforts to maintain its first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
Secretary of State David M. Scanlan said the cherished tradition faced a significant threat in the 2024 cycle, as then-President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee sought to reorder the nominating calendar. But it didn’t stop New Hampshire from voting first, Scanlan noted, and the state’s delegates were ultimately allowed to participate in the Democratic National Convention last summer.
“To those pundits I hear saying that South Carolina is now the first state or New Hampshire lost its position: not true,” he said. “We’re still first, and we will continue to be as long as we follow this important law.”
The law that Scanlan touted, which requires his office to schedule the state’s presidential primary ahead of similar contests in other states, was signed on May 27, 1975, so Tuesday’s celebration was a 50th anniversary bash complete with cake and speeches.
James R. Splaine, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation as a 27-year-old state representative, said during the festivities on Tuesday that New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary is good for politics, candidates, and the American public at large.
“It’s democracy at its best,” he said.
William Gardner, who as secretary of state from 1976 to 2022 has long been credited with defending New Hampshire’s spot at the front of the line, said Splaine’s legislation enabled the state to take a proactive posture to preserve its interests.
Political dignitaries from both major parties are gathering now at the N.H. State House for an event celebrating 50 years since state lawmakers enshrined New Hampshire’s #fitn primary into statute. #nhpolitics pic.twitter.com/BbxbRXhrGJ
— Steven Porter (@reporterporter) May 27, 2025
While everyone who spoke at Tuesday’s event struck a proud and optimistic tone, they also acknowledged that the 2028 cycle will present another opportunity for New Hampshire’s coveted status to come under threat.
Critics contend New Hampshire, as one of the whitest states in the country, doesn’t reflect the nation’s diversity. That was a major rationale the DNC cited for pushing South Carolina to the front of the calendar in 2024, to elevate the voices of Black voters (though the DNC-endorsed calendar also boosted Biden by allowing him to skip a state where he lagged in the 2020 primary, to focus instead on a state where he had excelled).
Scanlan said the criticisms based on New Hampshire’s demographics are “red herring” arguments.
“There is no state that truly reflects the makeup of America, and there is no state that is more American than any other state,” he said.
Scanlan framed New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary as a unique and indispensable opportunity where “the little guy” can kindle a grassroots campaign by traversing a small state filled with attentive voters who participate in state-run elections that make it relatively easy for candidates to have their names listed on the ballot.
“You don’t need a lot of money,” he said. “You don’t need to have a lot of name recognition to be able to run a good campaign.”
This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
