New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is imperiling the state?s place in the political world by threatening to hold a December primary, New Hampshire GOP Chairman Wayne MacDonald charged Thursday.
?During the course of the debate these next four years, it could well be that we have no delegates four years from now if we go into December,? MacDonald told POLITICO. ?It has been discussed in conference calls that the rules aren?t stringent enough and the sanction needs to be 100 percent of delegates for states that break them.?
Continue ReadingMacDonald urged Gardner to hold the state?s election Jan. 10.
MacDonald wasn?t the only one worrying about the long-term impact of the current turmoil.
?I do worry about that. That?s a real concern,? said another top New Hampshire Republican. ?We don?t want to diminish the significance of it.?
Gardner, who has full control over the state?s primary date, released a statement Wednesday saying he was willing to drastically reshuffle the primary calendar to keep New Hampshire at least seven days ahead of the next nominating contest. He said the only way he?d consider Jan. 10 is if Nevada moves its caucus ? currently scheduled for Jan. 14 ? back three days. On Wednesday night, the Nevada GOP declined to make the move.
Reiterating his confidence in Gardner, MacDonald repeated his call, first reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader, to take a more lax interpretation of the state law that requires a seven day buffer before the next ?similar election.?
?There is a difference between a primary and a caucus, so I don?t think Nevada should affect us,? MacDonald said. ?The 10th, to me, seems to be the most sensible date.?
MacDonald added: ?There are 31 days in January, and so far to my knowledge, only four dates out of 31 are taken. I just hope that somehow, we can be in January.?
MacDonald said he has not spoken to Gardner since the secretary of state issued his Wednesday warning. Gardner did not return phone messages left with his office Thursday.
In the 1996 and 2000 elections, Delaware held its primaries on the Saturday after New Hampshire?s primary. Delaware officials told POLITICO Thursday that they discontinued the practice to avoid convention sanctions from the national parties.
Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich both pledged to boycott any nominating contest that endangers New Hampshire?s primacy in the presidential campaign calendar.
? Jonathan Martin contributed to this report
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