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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8d8c0001Click on a photo to find stories by candidate:0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8d8c0002More Content:Our Voters Guide provides an overview of all you need to know about the 2016 N.H. Presidential Primary.Click here to explore a calendar of candidate visits and other Primary campaign events.Click here for our Money in Politics stories and data interactives.Visit our Where They Stand series for an overview of the candidates' positions on key policy questions.Visit our series Primary Backstage to learn about the people and places that make the N.H. Primary tick.To see NHPR photos from the campaign trail, visit our Primary 2016 album on Flickr.

It's Official: N.H. Voters Heading to the Polls Feb. 9 for Presidential Primary

Tracy Lee Carroll, NHPR

The 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary is officially on for Feb. 9, one week after the Iowa caucuses.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, who has the final say on the state’s presidential primary schedule, announced the date Thursday morning, for both the Republican and the Democratic races.

While the New Hampshire primary dates back to 1916, the state didn't earn its "first in the nation" voting status until four years later. After New Hampshire voters make their picks, the next early nominating contests are set to take place in South Carolina and Nevada.

The Primary date has crept earlier and earlier in recent years, as other states have pushed their own primary dates forward to blunt New Hampshire's influence. This year’s primary is actually on the late side by recent standards, but it’s actually quite a bit earlier when you compare it to older elections. Here's a history of New Hampshire Primary dates.

   

2016: Feb. 9 

2012: Jan 10 

  • Republican winner: Mitt Romney
  • Democratic winner: Barack Obama

2008: Jan. 8

  • Republican winner: John McCain
  • Democratic winner: Hillary Clinton

2004: Jan. 27

  • Republican winner: George W. Bush
  • Democratic winner: John Kerry

2000: Feb. 1 

  • Republican winner: John McCain
  • Democratic winner: Al Gore

1996: Feb. 20 

  • Republican winner: Pat Buchanan
  • Democratic winner: Bill Clinton

1992: Feb. 18

  • Republican winner: George H.W. Bush
  • Democratic winner: Paul Tsongas

1988: Feb. 16

  • Republican winner: George H.W. Bush
  • Democratic winner: Michael Dukakis

1984: Feb. 28 

  • Republican winner: Ronald Reagan
  • Democratic winner: Gary Hart

1980: Feb. 26

  • Republican winner: Ronald Reagan
  • Democratic winner: Jimmy Carter

1976: Feb. 24

  • Republican winner: Gerald Ford
  • Democratic winner: Jimmy Carter

1972: March 7

  • Republican winner: Richard Nixon
  • Democratic winner: Edmund Muskie

1968: March 12

  • Republican winner: Richard Nixon
  • Democratic winner: Lyndon B. Johnson

1964: March 10

  • Republican winner: Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
  • Democratic winner: Lyndon B. Johnson

1960: March 8

  • Republican winner: Richard Nixon
  • Democratic winner: John F. Kennedy

1956: March 13

  • Republican winner: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Democratic winner: Estes Kefauver

1952: March 11

  • Republican winner: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Democratic winner: Estes Kefauver

(This post has been updated to correct an error in the date of the 1968 primary; Sources: nhprimary100.org, Primary Politics: Everything You Need to Know About How America Nominates its Presidential Candidates)

Casey is a Senior News Editor for NHPR. You can contact her with questions or feedback at cmcdermott@nhpr.org.
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