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Final results: Summary results | Town resultsThe BasicsThe New Hampshire primary is a mainstay in American electoral politics. Every four years, voters gather to help determine the Republican and/or Democratic nominee for President. While the state only has 12 electoral votes in 2012 (normally it’s 24, but the Republican National Committee penalized the state party for moving up the event date), the primary’s position as one of the earliest contests gives the state out-sized influence over the nomination process.Only the Iowa caucuses come before New Hampshire’s primary. Traditionally, New Hampshire’s broad-based primary contest has been seen as a counter-weight to Iowa’s more drawn-out caucus process, which tends to draw a smaller core of party faithful. In the case of the 2012 Republican race, New Hampshire’s electorate is seen to represent the more libertarian-leaning, fiscally conservative wing of the party, while Iowa voters are seen as representing the socially conservative wing of the GOP base.N.H. Primary summary provided by StateImpact - NH reporter, Amanda Loder

Primary Set For January 10th

Josh Rogers
/
NHPR

Secretary of State Bill Gardner chooses expected date, and says NH tradition lives on.

NH law requires its primary be held at least a week before any similar election. When Nevada tried to schedule its caucus in mid-January, NH threatened to hold the primary in December. Under pressure from national republicans and facing a boycott from some candidates, Nevada backed off, giving NH’s secretary of state Bill Gardner the window he sought.

"The tradition of NH presidential primary lives on and it will be held on the second Tuesday, the 10th day of next year 2012.

 The January 10th date means granite state voters will head to the polls a week after the Iowa caucus and two weeks before the South Carolina primary.

Josh has worked at NHPR since 2000.
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