Frequently Asked Questions About The Protect Our Primary Campaign

What is Victory NH?
Is this a partisan effort?
Why are you concerned about the Republicans?
How do you plan to influence the candidates & leadership of both parties?
When will NH's Secretary of State set the date for the Primary?
Why is the New Hampshire Primary so important?

1. What is Victory NH?

Victory NH began as a grassroots Internet effort led by Ambassador Joseph Petrone in the Fall of 2004.

Over the last two years, we've grown into a network of 16 citizen activist groups dedicated to influencing the 2008 Presidential debate and protecting New Hampshire's First in the Nation Primary.

Our e-newsletter now reaches between 12,000 & 14,000 people per issue, and our mailing list has just passed 160,000.

As an issues-oriented group, Victory NH does not endorse candidates, but believes it is important that the citizens hear from elected officials, activists, and business leaders alike; so they can reach an informed opinion about the issues that impact their lives.

2. Is this a partisan effort?

Absolutely not! While Victory NH is a center-right network of activist groups, the Protect Our Primary campaign is anything but a partisan effort.

While we understand that it is the nature of "the parties" to take every opportunity to criticize their opponents, we believe that this is one time that civic-minded citizens of all stripes should band together to protect a process that has proven itself to be for the good of the country.

We have a remarkable system that has worked well for decades, and neither national party should be allowed to tinker with it.

3. If the Democrats are the ones changing their calendar, why are you concerned about the Republicans?

While the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) change to the Democrat’s primary calendar has no bearing on the Republican primary calendar for the 2008 Presidential Election, the Republican National Committee (RNC) will be meeting over the next year or so to consider changes for the 2012 cycle.

As Secretary Gardner detailed in his letter that began this campaign, the DNC Commission (on Presidential Nomination Timing & Scheduling) has asked Governor Dean and the DNC to begin a series of discussions with the RNC as the RNC begins to draft its 2012 rules.

The difference in the current rules of each committee has led to a tremendous amount of confusion. There is no opportunity to change the Republican's 2008 primary calendar. The Republican Party can only vote for such a change at their next convention which will not take place until September of 2008, so the earliest that the Republican primary calendar would change would be for the 2012 presidential election.

The real threat to the proven system, that has given equal access to all candidates, would be if both parties agreed to work together to take control of the process. It is this long term threat that we are determined to prevent.

Equal access and opportunity for all would be replaced by a closed system where a small group of power brokers (from both parties) would decide who should have a chance to become President.

4. How do you plan to influence the candidates & leadership of both parties?

Our goal is to see to it that every presidential candidate that crosses our border learns the facts about the New Hampshire primary and why it would be detrimental to our country to weaken it in any way.

In the months ahead, it's going to get harder and harder for candidates to cross New Hampshire's borders without getting a "clear picture" of...

how serious New Hampshire's citizens (of all political persuasions) are about protecting our first in the nation primary;
how much the support of candidates and leaders of both parties means to us;
and how closely we'll be watching not just what they say while visiting us, but what they say as they travel to other states.

In other words, candidates coming to New Hampshire will be met with a series of polite, positive surprises from New Hampshire’s ever-watchful citizen activists… :-)

5. When will New Hampshire's Secretary of State set the date for the Primary?

Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's Secretary of State, has said that this decision probably won't be made until late 2007 because he has to wait for a range of other states to schedule their contests before setting New Hampshire's date.

New Hampshire law states that its primary must be held seven days ahead of any "similar election."

This means that Secretary Gardner will have to decide whether the Nevada event is a "similar election" to the New Hampshire primary. If he decides it is, the law would require him to schedule the primary at least a week earlier.

6. Why is the New Hampshire Primary so important?

In short, we believe the New Hampshire Primary is America's Primary:

The primary that Americans turn to for...

a level playing field with fair and open access, so every candidate can afford to have their message heard;
informed, experienced, and demanding voters who know how to get the honest answers America deserves from its candidates;
and for the first true test of each candidate's ability to earn our trust not from a tarmac or a TV station, but by going living room to living room... earning one vote at a time.

Click here for a more detailed explanation of why we believe this to be true.

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