New Hampshire’s longtime guardian of its early presidential primary is stepping 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, will step down in the coming days, he announced at a press conference Monday.

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.

“It’s time,” Gardner said in the press conference.

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.

For more on the New Hampshire presidential primary and Gardner’s role in keeping it early in the nominating calendar, listen to NHPR’s Stranglehold podcast.