After more than 40 years in office, N.H. Secretary of State Bill Gardner to step down

New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner, who earned a national reputation as gatekeeper of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary, announced Monday that he will retire in the coming days.

Gardner has held the office since December 1976, when he was elected at the age of 28. He’s the longest-serving secretary of state in the nation.

“I just think that it’s time,” told reporters at a press conference in his cramped State House office Monday.

As the state’s chief election official, Gardner is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations around voting in New Hampshire. But it’s as chief defender of the state’s presidential primary that Gardner has earned his loudest praise — and criticism.

Gardner waved away a suggestion that he was stepping down for health reasons. He said Dave Scanlan, his current deputy, will serve as the interim Secretary of State.

“I know the office which I leave will be in good hands,” Gardner said.

A primary legacy

Gardner’s departure from office comes as the nominating calendar for the 2024 presidential election remains unsettled, with some states looking to knock New Hampshire and Iowa from their traditional spots at the front of the process.

His retirement also bookends one of the longest and most influential careers in New Hampshire politics.

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