New Hampshire sets date for presidential primary

New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner (L) talks to Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) after she signed and filed her declaration of candidacy papers to get her name on the ballot for the New Hampshire primary at the State House in Concord, New Hampshire November 2, 2007. New Hampshire set January 8 as the date for its primary vote in the U.S. presidential election, ending months of speculation on Wednesday over the timing of one of the first contests in the 2008 race.

CONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) - New Hampshire set January 8 as the date for its primary vote in the U.S. presidential election, ending speculation on Wednesday over the timing of one of the first contests in the 2008 White House race.

Iowa's nominating contest on January 3 and New Hampshire's primary kick off state-by-state battles to winnow out losers and elevate a select few candidates to move ahead and seek their parties' presidential nominations.

"It's earlier than we had imagined not too long ago, but first and foremost we are going to preserve the New Hampshire primary and this will let us do that," New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner told a news conference.

For more than half a century, running for the White House has meant romancing voters in New Hampshire, shaking hands and flipping burgers in hole-in-the-wall diners, in the hope that winning the state will spark a surge of publicity to secure the nomination in other states.

But a shake-up in the nominating calendar means the January 8 primary is the earliest in the history of New Hampshire, which has held the first primary in every presidential campaign since 1920.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton leads the race for the Democratic nomination in the state, according to recent polls, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads among likely Republican voters.

Both New Hampshire and Iowa have faced complaints that the mostly white and rural states do not offer a representative test for candidates, and that more racially and economically diverse states should play a bigger role.

Florida, Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina have clamored for greater say in the process and moved their nominating 2008 contests earlier.

Michigan's Democrats had threatened to challenge what they termed New Hampshire "privileged" position by holding a ballot on the same day as the New Hampshire primary. New Hampshire officials responded by hinting at a possible December primary.

On Wednesday, Michigan's highest court cleared the way for a primary there on January 15.

"We don't get this every four years and I don't expect to have one like this for a long time," Gardner said of the months of speculation over New Hampshire's primary date.

Gardner has vowed to preserve a law passed in the state in 1977 that requires a seven-day window between its vote and any "similar" contest to avoid diluting the state's influence in picking Democratic and Republican presidential nominees.

In the primary, independents -- not just registered Republicans and Democrats -- cast direct votes and can chose either a Republican or a Democrat.

That differs from Iowa where voters gather with neighbors and declare publicly which candidate they support.

Winning both can build momentum for a flurry of nominating contests on February 5.

(Additional reporting by Josh Rogers; writing by Jason Szep; editing by Mohammad Zargham)