Story Archives of 'New Hampshire Primary'

The lighter side of the Primary! A new musical in New Hampshire examines the more humorous…and at times, ironic moments – of our Presidential contest. We’ll speak to the show’s creator and producer…and an array of longtime Granite State primary watchers with their tales of first-in-the-nation funnies.

Guests

• Blair Hundertmark, Producing Director of the New Hampshire Theater Project and Director of "The Primary Primary!” playing at The West End Studio Theater in Portsmouth.
• Robert John Ford, Playwright and Producer of “Caucus, the Musical” and “The Primary Primary!”
• John Clayton, Columnist for The Union Leader and the New Hampshire Sunday News and author of several books on New Hampshire

We'll Also Hear From

• Rebecca Hutchinson, Former State Representative from Deerfield
• Carol Sheehan, Owner of the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester
• Mary Hill, Longtime Employee at Capital Convenience in Concord
• Danny LaChance, Cook at Chez Vachon in Manchester
• Nancy Petrillo, Owner of Lindy's Restaurant in Keene

As we wrap up this long primary season, we’ll look back at how the process has dramatically evolved, with political blogs, internet debates, and the YouTube effect, where small campaign moments can be magnified worldwide. There’s also a plethora of new ways for citizens to participate. We’ll look at all the changes, for better and for worse.

Guests

• Garrett Graff, Internet Editor at The Washingtonian Magazine, author of “The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House” and the first blogger admitted to cover a White House press briefing
• Jon Greenberg, Executive Editor for NHPR and curator of Primary Place Online

We'll Also Hear From

• Brian “Cosmo” Lawson, political science student at St. Anselm College who runs the New Hampshire Presidential Watch website, assists with the Primary Source blog on Boston.com and contributes pieces to the Huffington Post
• Charlie Perkins, Vice-President of Editorial for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News
• Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, where he is also a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He is the author or editor of several books on television and pop culture.

Defenders of the first in the nation primary say it gives New Hampshire something unique.

They call it retail politics... that face-to-face meeting that allows voters to evaluate the candidates, and lets candidates understand the voters.

But a group of voters in Laconia believes the New Hampshire primary has given them something more: a passion for public service.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s Brady Carlson files this report.

There’s a new website, Map the candidates.com that shows you where the presidential candidates have been during this campaign. So you can check for example, how much time they’ve spent in Iowa versus New Hampshire in the past few weeks.

New Hampshire Public Radio also has a new web site that lets you track the candidates in a very different way. Our broadcast series, Primary Place, has followed the voters of Exeter throughout this presidential season. Now, there’s Primary Place Online, a site where Exeter residents and YOU can post your impressions of the people who hope to lead this country.

Primaryplace.org is the brainchild of NHPR’s Executive Editor, Jon Greenberg and Jon joins me now.

Our 25 in 25 series continues with Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's longstanding Secretary of State and steadfast protector of our First-In-The-Nation Primary status. He has been described as stubborn, inscrutable and very influential. We'll talk with him about how he came to be in this powerful perch, the many challenges to the New Hampshire Primary over the years and how he sees the current election calendar shaking out.

Guest

• Bill Gardner, New Hampshire Secretary of State