Sununu opposes New Hampshire primary date changes

(The Center Square) – A bipartisan plan to move New Hampshire’s late state primary date back several weeks is in jeopardy with Gov. Chris Sununu opposing the measure.

Speaking to reporters last week, Sununu said he didn’t like the proposal, approved by the Legislature, to set the date as the second Tuesday in August and would likely veto it once it reaches his desk.

“I don’t see the benefit of it. I really don’t,” the Republican chief executive said at a Thursday briefing. “If you were going to really move the primary, moving it four weeks doesn’t achieve some of the goals that we’re trying to achieve, which is giving more time for the general election, more time to integrate with independent voters.”

Sununu said shifting the primary date would create “confusion” in a system that hasn’t reported any major issues for voters.

“We’ve got a great system,” he said. “Unless we really need to change something, I’m always hesitant to do that.”

While New Hampshire is known for its “first-in-the-nation” presidential primary, the state primary date – which has been held on the second Tuesday in September since 1910 – is one of the last in the nation. Only Rhode Island holds a later state primary.

Supporters of moving the date say it will boost voter turnout and provide a more even playing field for challengers running for state and local elected offices.

They argue that the late primary date doesn’t allow enough time for winning candidates to prepare for the general election.

Critics say the late primary favors incumbents because it gives challengers who win their party’s nomination little time to prepare for the general election.

The proposal to change the date is currently before a committee of House and Senate negotiators who are trying to work out differences between two versions of the bill.

A House bill approved in April would move the state primary date to the fourth Tuesday in June and would have taken effect just 60 days after its passage. But a Senate version approved last month set the August date and would delay implementation of the changes until the 2023 elections.

At least 31 other states – including Connecticut, Vermont and Florida – hold their state primaries in June, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Secretary of State Bill Gardner, who oversees the state’s elections, also opposes moving the state primary date up in the calendar. He has suggested it would dampen voter turnout.

A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll in February showed that at least 86% of voters support moving the state’s primary date.

If Sununu makes good on his pledge to veto the bill, lawmakers would need two-thirds supermajority votes in each chamber to override it.

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