New Hampshire Primary Election 2012: Date Set For January 10

Another State Rocks 2012 Primary Process

New Hampshire's 2012 primary election will be held on January 10, according to Granite State-based outlet WMUR.

The contest was originally scheduled to take place on February 14. The shift comes as only the latest to be made on the election calendar since Florida moved up its primary just over a month ago.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner officially announced his state's new 2012 primary date on Wednesday.

The AP reports:

The Jan. 10 date announced by Secretary of State Bill Gardner Wednesday had been widely expected since Nevada Republicans voted last month to shift their presidential caucuses to early February, ending what had become a bitter standoff among rival states. Gardner had warned that Nevada's initial decision to hold its contest in mid-January could force New Hampshire to vote in early December.

Iowa will vote a week ahead of New Hampshire, with South Carolina, Florida and Nevada coming afterward.

New Hampshire House Speaker William O'Brien spoke out on the Sunshine State leapfrogging on the calendar last month. "Florida may dilute the value of their primary, but we certainly won't allow their actions to minimize the New Hampshire primary," he told Exeter Patch.

On the heels of Florida's initial change of plans -- a move that many expected could spark a stampede of shifts on the election calendar -- former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu said, "Iowa picks corn, Florida picks oranges, and New Hampshire picks presidents."

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