Gardner says New Hampshire primary tradition is as strong as ever.

Excerpts from Kevin Landrigan's article, "Faith plays role in primary debate," published in the Nashua Telegraph on Sunday, November 4, 2007.

As America’s third-whitest state, New Hampshire has fought to keep its first-in-the-nation primary for the last 18 months amid claims it’s insensitive to racial diversity.

So, it’s ironic that Secretary of State Bill Gardner’s final decision is whether he should slight religious minorities – in this case, certain Eastern Orthodox Christians – in setting the long-awaited primary date.“I’ve done a lot of research once I found out about this conflict,’’ said Gardner, a Roman Catholic. “We’re talking about literally hundreds of years of religious tradition. It can’t be just dismissed, and I’m giving it careful thought.’’

Political observers from coast to coast conclude Gardner will soon pick Jan. 8 as the primary date. It would come only five days after the Iowa caucus, but it would comply with state law that requires New Hampshire to vote at least a week before the next similar election.

The date will firm up further if the Michigan Democratic State Committee affirms Jan. 15 as its primary date when it meets Wednesday.

University of New Hampshire Survey Center Director Andrew Smith is a veteran watcher of this quadrennial primary squabble who regularly fields calls from national reporters and campaign operatives wondering when the New Hampshire Primary date will be set.

“It’s going to be January 8,” Smith said. “I’d be shocked if it’s anything else.”But for hundreds of Eastern Orthodox Christians living and worshipping in New Hampshire, Jan. 8 is the Feast of the Holy Mother of God, a day of obligation.Jan. 7 is Christmas for these Christians, who follow either the Julian calendar of Julius Caesar dating to 45 B.C. or the Gregorian calendar that Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XII decreed in 1582.

The Rev. Archpriest Alexandr Androsov heads the St. Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church in Manchester, the state’s largest Russian denomination parish, which was founded in 1915 with about 100 members.

“We’ve heard abut this, and it’s not good for us,” Androsov said. Androsov said parishioners must get time off their jobs on Jan. 7 and 8 to attend services.

“My church is filled to the brim on both of those days because it’s our Christmas and the Feast of the Holy Mother,’’ Androsov said. “The majority are working people, and it’s not easy for them to practice their faith.’’

Last week, Gardner consulted with Rochester Democratic State Rep. Shawn Mickelonis, whose wife, Anastasiya, is from Belarus, where 89 percent practice Eastern Orthodoxy.“I asked Shawn what she would think if we had the primary on Jan. 8, and he said she would find it to be insulting to her,’’ Gardner said.

The state’s top election official has similar concerns on the timing of a December primary, since Hanukkah falls on Dec. 4-12 this year.

When the primary fight forced talk holding the New Hampshire Primary on a Saturday, Gardner had expressed religious worries about that scenario.

Gardner said whatever he decides about the date, the frontloading of primaries needs to be changed before 2012.

“Two days after New Year’s, we have Iowa caucuses, and two days after the Super Bowl, 22 states are holding primaries,’’ Gardner said. “That’s not a system that allows voters time to react to candidates who win or lose a contest. I’d like the campaign to go beyond February 5, but that doesn’t look likely.’

’Despite the upheaval, Gardner said at the close of the filing period Friday that the New Hampshire primary tradition is as strong as ever.

“At the door or on their way out they’ve said, ‘we’re with you, do whatever it takes, don’t hold back,’ ’’ Gardner said.

Over three weeks, 44 candidates from the famous to the fringe signed papers and paid $1,000 to get on the ballot, the second-largest slate in the modern era.