New Hampshire First in the Nation Primary

It officially summertime in New Hampshire, Concord is celebrating downtown days and the Candidates for President are visiting. It is a lot of fun and is really very interesting and entertaining for us locals and even the summer tourists can play along. But at the same time it appears our politicians are fighting to keep the New Hampshire primary first and maintain our status as the most important presidential primary.

I have been involved in the past with this great political quest and have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and speak with many of the nation's leaders and even some future presidents. I have to admit the whole process can be very intoxicating. As local political leaders we are courted and questioned by both national politicians and the national media. But do we really deserve all this courting?

I worry about the fact that both political parties use the primary as a way to raise most of the money they collect to run their campaigns. The money pours into the local party treasuries and the local and state candidates campaigns both in the form of donations from national political PACs and by National candidates appearing at local fundraisers. Do State Senate candidates in New York, New Jersey, or Kansas have United States Senators, Governor's from other states and Congressmen appearing at their local chicken dinners and coffees? Have our local and State candidates forgotten how to "beat the street" when it comes to fundraising?

I remember the last Presidential Primary season when I ran for re-election to the city council I was asked by more than one national campaign if I would like a contribution for my campaign - even though I was running unopposed. I declined but did others?

I remember when the New Hampshire Presidential Primary was about going door to door and meeting as many voters as possible but is it still the same? Or has the Presidential Primary turned into a fundraiser for our political leaders? I hope not. But I believe we have to stop using the national campaigns as a method to fund our local races and instead concentrate or doing our job in the Presidential process and narrow down the field, use our chance to be "up close and personal" with the Presidential candidates to grill them on what they have planned for the country should they become President. I hope if we retain the status of the "First in the Nation Presidential Primary" we can still fullfill our historical obligation.