Bill Gardner has served as New Hampshire’s Secretary of State for more than 40 years, and last week, New Hampshire legislators—not voters—elected him to his 22nd term in office.
But his re-election was no sure thing, and victory came only after a contentious and unprecedented day in the legislature. Tied up in Gardener’s reappointment are questions about election reforms, the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary and even President Donald Trump.
Teasing out how these all connect to Bill Gardner’s return to office for a 22nd term is Casey McDermott, a reporter covering policy and politics for New Hampshire Public Radio.
Gardner faced fellow Democrat and former gubernatorial candidate Colin Van Ostern for the Secretary of State position.
McDermott says Gardner narrowly won re-election—winning in the second round of voting by just four votes—due to several factors, including lingering anger for his involvement in the Trump administration's election integrity commission, unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election, as well as what McDermott calls frustration among New Hampshire voters with Gardner's stance on voter laws and election reforms.
Listen to the full interview to hear about how Gardner has served in his job since 1976 and the dramatic details of his re-election vote in the New Hampshire state legislature.
Broadcast live on Monday, Dec. 10, 2018 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
