April 30, 2008 - 9:13pm
Candidates honored at primary awards dinner
By James W. Pindell
Category: President, LocalTags: Mitt Romney, Bill Bradley, New Hampshire Political Library, Walter Peterson
Former New Jersey Sen. Bill BradleyMANCHESTER -- Two presidential candidates, a national political reporter, and a former governor were all honored for their participation in the New Hampshire Primary in what has become the state's premier political party of the year.
The New Hampshire Political Library's annual fund-raiser at the Center of New Hampshire brought together the state's political elite from both parties to hear campaign war stories and celebrate the state's first-in-the-nation tradition.
Honored this year were former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, who ran for president in 2000, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran this year. Both men lost the New Hampshire contest, but both said they were better off for running and that New Hampshire should continue to be first.
CNN national political correspondent Candy Crowley was also honored for her coverage of the primary as was former New Hampshire Gov. Walter Peterson (R-Peterbroigh). It was only recently discovered that Peterson, as governor in 1969, played a key role in convincing the Nevada governor at the time not to sign legislation that would have made that state's primary leapfrog the Granite State.
For Bradley the New Hampshire Primary worked because of the intimate town meetings. For Romney it was simply that politics here was personal and not driven via the media.
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Quote of the Day
July 3, 2008
"The website is your place to tell us about the dirty campaign tricks the Republicans are using to manipulate the election and distort the will of New Hampshire voters."
-- Email from the New Hampshire Democratic Party introducing a website aimed at keeping track of what they call "Republican dirty tricks."
-PolitickerNH.com, 7/2/08
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No One Honored At Blue Hampshire Bash !
No one of note that is.
Are you a a member of New Hampshire's effete east coast liberal cabal ? Be there or be square. Bash Bash Bash
Sat. May 3
Noon- ?
$7
All the flour tortillas one can consume
Cash bar
Hermanos Cocicna Mexicana
11 Hills Ave.
Concord, NH 03301
Next time there may be no next time
Governor Walter Peterson Rocks!
Just a little more about Governor Walter Peterson's role in 1969.
The Nevada State Assembly that year passed legislation, Assembly Bill 200, to hold a primary in March (ours was in March in those days) one week before New Hampshire's traditional First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary.
Nevada Governor Paul Laxalt called the sponsor of that bill into his office in late April of 1969, explaining to him that he had received a telephone call from Walter Peterson, AND a telegram from NH House Speaker Marshall Cobleigh, telling him that if that bill became law, New Hampshire would move its primary a week earlier. Governor Laxalt knew that would begin a "leap frog" situation, as he called it. (We needed him this past year!)
So, Governor Laxalt, on April 29, 1969, almost 39 years ago to the day, addressed the Nevada Assembly with his veto message, which by the way I read on the floor of the New Hampshire House today.
It appears that this was the first real effort by another state to pre-date our lead-off status, which we have held since 1916. This successful accomplishment by Walter Peterson and Marshall Cobleigh was before the 1975 legislation that I wrote authorizing the NH Secretary of State to automatically move our primary "...7 days or more..." before others, which has effectively given us our lead-off status ever since.
Congratulations, and thanks, to them both.
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