New Hampshire sets Republican presidential primary date

Rick Perry hands in his documentation for the New Hampshire primary 28 October 2011 Candidates have signed forms in recent weeks registering for the primary New Hampshire's presidential primary will be held on 10 January 2012, finalising the early season election calendar after months of uncertainty. The date was confirmed after Nevada Republicans voted to shift their presidential caucus to early February. Earlier, the western state had scheduled its contest for mid-January. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner had warned that the state's primary would be held in December if Nevada did not change its initial date. Iowa's caucus will be held on 3 January. Traditionally, the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire have been paired as "first-in-the-nation", a distinction threatened by the earlier scheduling of contests in Nevada and Florida. New Hampshire's primary will now be followed by January nomination contests in South Carolina and Florida.