Nevada once tried to jump New Hampshire presidential primary

Monday, Oct. 3, 2011 | 1:27 p.m.

In a story freighted with historical significance now that Nevada and New Hampshire are tussling over presidential preference event placement, Nevada tried 42 years ago to supplant the newly minted first-in-the-country New England primary.

The legislation was Assembly Bill 200, sponsored by Ty Hilbrecht. As you can see from the extensive history posted

here

Hilbrecht confronted questions about cost as he tried to make Nevada the first in the nation, jumping ahead of New Hampshire.

On Feb. 11, 1969, an assemblyman named Harry Reid moved that the bill be passed in an elections panel meeting.

On April 23, 1969, Hilbrecht informed his colleagues that Gov. Paul Laxalt’s “only serious concern to be the possibility of a resort oriented state such as ours being unable to withstand the glare of publicity attendant to being the earliest primary in the nation.”

Have to love that: “resort oriented” state. It’s the gambling stigma!

Hilbrecht answered that criticism and others and suggested Laxalt was opposed because of different party affiliations -- all of that is in the lengthy documentation at that link above.

In his veto message on April 29, 1969, Laxalt objected to the attempt to “displace a Sister State” from its first-in-nation status. The governor mentioned that New Hampshire would “leap frog” Nevada if the bill passed. Laxalt, making an ironic argument considering what is occurring today, said Nevada should not go too early because there is not enough “hay in the barn.”

Then this: “It would appear that the latest possible date would afford Nevadans the greatest opportunity to evaluate the issues.”

Oh, how times have changed in 42 years.