New Hampshire Considers Moving Primary to Before Christmas

New Hampshire Considers Moving Primary to Before Christmas

Ethan Miller/Getty Images(CONCORD, N.H.) -- While New Hampshirites are out Christmas shopping this December, they might also take a minute to duck into a voting booth to make their choice for the Republican presidential nomination.

It could happen, judging by the way Secretary of State Bill Gardner has been talking.

Furious about Nevada's determination to move up the date for the state caucus since Florida and South Carolina bumped up their primaries to January, Gardner wrote in a statement Wednesday that unless Nevada accepts Jan. 17 or later, New Hampshire might consider holding its primary on Tuesday, Dec. 13 or even Tuesday, Dec. 6.

Party officials say such a move would be disastrous because it would put the New Hampshire primary ahead of the Iowa caucuses and potentially giving Mitt Romney, who already has a conformable lead in the state, an unfair advantage when January rolls around.

According to New Hampshire law, the primary has to be at least seven days earlier than the Nevada caucuses, which are now tentatively scheduled for Jan. 14, thus killing New Hampshire's bid for a Jan. 10 primary.

Adding to the confusion is Gardner's refusal to communicate via cellphones or e-mails, making any negotiations with him extremely difficult.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

via 670kboi.com