CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire on Wednesday set its earliest-ever presidential primary, deciding on Jan. 8 and claiming its traditional spot as the nation’s first.
The decision ends months of speculation, including the possibility that the state might move into December to keep its spot at the head of the line. Iowa, which has a caucus system, begins five days earlier, on Jan. 3.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner set New Hampshire’s date hours after Michigan’s Supreme Court said that state’s primary could go forward as scheduled on Jan. 15, ending a court battle. New Hampshire waited to make sure Michigan wouldn’t schedule its process even earlier.
“This tradition has served our nation well, as decades of candidates and presidents have said,” Gardner said.
The Associated Press
