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New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, left, shows former Maryland governor, Martin O'Malley, the historical urn before O. Malley does not apply for the 2016 presidential primary. Gardner is the country's oldest state secretary and has jealously guarded the first presidential primary of New Hampshire.
Jim Cole / AP
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New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, left, shows former Maryland Gov. Martin O Malley, the historic urn before O Malley does not file for the 2016 presidential primary. Gardner is the country's oldest state secretary and has jealously guarded the first presidential election in New Hampshire.
Jim Cole / AP
For four decades, the office of New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has been crossing the White House.
This is a mandatory stop for presidential candidates of both parties, who parade every four years in the lobby file their candidacy papers and formally inscribe their names on the ballot for the first presidential primary of New Hampshire.
But Gardner, the US's oldest secretary of state, risks losing his job as New's first political ambassador Hampshire and fervent defender of his place in the calendar of candidacies for the presidency.
After 42 years in power, he faces his biggest challenge to date. Democrat who took advantage of his dissatisfaction with his position on electoral reforms.
Members of the New Hampshire Citizens' Legislature (400 State and 24 State Senators) declared de Gardner's fate on Wednesday. New Hampshire is one of three states where the state secretary is chosen by the state legislator, not by popular vote or by appointment of the governor.
This year's election pits Gardner, 70, against a former governorship candidate who recently rotated his own. focus on electoral reform, Colin Van Ostern. The race essentially led to a debate on whether Gardner's reputation for preserving the state's political traditions outweighs the criticism of his ability to assume the other responsibilities of his office.
"The best way to preserve the primary for another hundred years is for the new energies and commitment needed for the other equally important roles of this office, such as establishing voters lists, increasing transparency, overseeing services provided to businesses and to protect free and fair elections, "said Van Ostern at the launch of his campaign.
Van Ostern, 39, has a track record of political actor and has collected nearly a quarter of a million dollars for his campaign to overthrow the outgoing president – raising fears that he will not be able to do so. it will not undermine the role of the Secretary of State as an impartial monitor of elections in the states.
Gardner, left, looks at the then-candidate, Donald Trump, showing his control of the fill fees after filing the documents for the vote on the main vote in November 2015.
Jim Cole / AP
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Voter Identification Requirements, Trump's Election Fraud Panel
But Gardner has also been criticized for his impartiality in recent years.
This year's campaign to oust him comes after years of frantic frustration from local liberals. support for Republican-backed electoral reforms, such as voter identification requirements and stricter residency requirements.
Gardner said he hoped to see more people voting, but he was skeptical about the efforts being made to make it more practical will achieve that goal.
"People will go out of their way if something is of value," said Gardner in 2015, explaining his philosophy on electoral reforms. "People will make the effort, if it's worth it. . Otherwise, they will not do it. "
But arguably the most important catalyst of this year's campaign is to overthrow Gardner was participating in the" Presidential Advisory Commission on "Integrity of elections" of President Trump.
After agreeing to sit on Trump's panel of experts, Gardner – who otherwise enjoys bipartisan support and a legacy free of of major public controversy – faces an unprecedented level of criticism that views the commission as an attempt to find justification for the president's unsubstantiated claims about widespread election fraud.
"The Gardner Secretary's Association with this partisan commission risks tarnishing its long legacy of fighting for New Hampshire's primary and promoting voter turnout. "Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen said last year, inviting him to withdraw from the group. (Hassan and Shaheen refused to support a candidate for the Secretary of State's elections this year.)
Despite pressure from public opinion, Gardner did not simply defend his role on the panel, he doubled his role and organized his second participation. in New Hampshire.
"The people of New Hampshire are not used to moving away or withdrawing from their civic obligations," Gardner said in his opening remarks at the forum, "and I do not Nor will it do. "
The commission ended up stagnating under the weight of increasing prosecution and suddenly dissolved in early 2018, but questions about its motives continued to follow Gardner in his quest for re-election Steve Shurtleff, who is about to become the next President of the New Hampshire House, said his choice to support Van Ostern was decisive.
"I have immense esteem for Bill Gardner and his work, but I think it is It may be time for the state of New Hampshire to effect a change," he said. recently Shurtleff.
But Gardner was able to count on the support of other allies, including the influence on the political establishment during the last weeks of the campaign: Political dignitaries staged a rally at the State House on his behalf, five former governors issued an open letter urging lawmakers to re-elect him, and leading party activists wrote columns praising his background in New Hampshire's primary.
"He served with the utmost integrity," wrote the Republican National Committee Steve Duprey and the National Democratic Committee, Terry Shumaker, in the New Hampshire Union Leader . "His non-partisan approach has earned the greatest respect and trust from leaders on both sides, here as in other states."
But the decision ultimately lies with the New Hampshire legislature, which has experienced a significant turnover this year – which means that many of the people who decide the fate of Gardner do not have the same allegiances as these great politicians and party activists, and could be more understanding of the arguments that it is time to move to someone again.
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