John Kerry Defends NH Primary

The NH Union Leader reports that John Kerry "yesterday firmly opposed the national Democratic Party’s plan to dilute the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation primary’s traditional strong impact on Presidential politics."

The Democratic National Committee should place no nominating caucuses between Iowa’s leadoff caucus and the primary in 2008, Kerry told the New Hampshire Union Leader. He said the early nomination calendar does not need to be fixed because it isn’t broken.

Tomorrow’s New Hampshire Sunday News opinion page will publish a commentary by Kerry that says:

“I have consistently supported Iowa’s and New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation status for as long as I have been involved in national politics. That’s why I am not in favor of the Democratic National Committee’s current plan to place a caucus event between Iowa and New Hampshire, nor am I in favor of placing a primary election during the seven days that immediately follow the New Hampshire primary.”

Kerry added in an interview that he has “weighed in nationally with people on that position.”

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