Politicos Fete NH Primary

Political activists, historians, and public officials, as well as the media, came together to celebrate the 100th birthday of the New Hampshire primary, which was signed into law on May 21, 1913.

The Bullock Act, as it was known at the time, changed the way the party delegates were chosen, from behind closed doors meetings, mainly controlled by the Boston & Maine Railroad, to direct election of delegates via presidential preference balloting.

The family of Rep. Stephen Bullock, D-Richmond, was on hand to accept thanks from the state. The family had donated a number of items to the state from the family’s archives.

The attendees shared political war stories, cracked jokes, thanked Secretary of State Bill Gardner for his tenacious defense of the state’s first-in-the-nation status, and also agreed, that no matter the rivalries between the parties, they would all defend the primary process in New Hampshire because it worked.

Here are a number of video clips and pictures from the event.