Lawmakers re-elect guardian of New Hampshire primary
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — With loud cheers and applause, New Hampshire lawmakers on Wednesday re-elected their veteran secretary of state and guardian of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary after two rounds of close votes.
Legislators voted to keep Bill Gardner, the nation's longest-serving secretary of state. He has held the job for 42 years.
"I'm very, very grateful to those of you who let this happen," Gardner told them afterward. "That office is so unique and so special."
Legislators voted twice; neither candidate won a majority the first time. The final vote was 209-205 for Gardner over challenger Colin Van Ostern, a 2016 gubernatorial candidate who wasn't even born when Gardner first took office.