N.H. Secretary of State to set primary date next week [Updated]

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said Tuesday he will hold off making a final decision on the state’s presidential primary until next week.

Gardner’s office had been working toward announcing the date as soon as today, but ultimately changed course and decided to wait until after the close of the two-week period when candidates can qualify for the state ballot.

Through Monday, 17 candidates -- 15 Republicans and two Democrats -- had done so by submitting a one-page declaration of candidacy and a $1,000 filing fee.

Gardner, empowered by state law to call what traditionally has been the nation’s first primary at the time of his choosing, is widely expected to set the contest for Jan. 10.

The path became clear for New Hampshire when Nevada Republicans voted on Saturday to change the date of their nominating caucuses from Jan. 14 to Feb. 4. Gardner had said that unless Nevada moved, he would have been forced to call his state’s vote as early as Dec. 6.

Gardner, who’s held his post for 35 years, has worked every four years to make sure his state retains its first-in-the-nation status. Only in New Hampshire, he argued recently, can White House hopefuls, “regardless of national standing or financial capability ... begin their launch into presidential politics by winning or doing well here.”

“Several aspiring Americans likely would not have become president if they weren’t first able to make their case door-to-door, face-to-face, eye-to-eye with New Hampshire voters who meet them at our homes, in our backyards, and on our sidewalks away from the microphones and cameras that create a barrier between human beings,” he said.

Gardner did not set the date of the 2008 primary until Nov. 21, the day before Thanksgiving. A Monday announcement would coincide with Halloween.

Once official, New Hampshire’s decision would cement the order of contests to choose the Republican nominee for the 2012 elections. Iowa’s caucuses are set for Jan. 3; South Carolina Republicans are to vote Jan. 21, followed by Florida voters on Jan. 31 and Nevada Republicans on Feb. 4.