Episode 1: The Guardian

For the last four decades, hundreds of the most powerful people in American politics — senators, governors, even a reality TV star — have had to meet one unassuming state bureaucrat on their way to the White House.

This man has built a reputation as "the guardian" of New Hampshire’s most sacred political institution. Some consider him an icon. But others say he’s a problem.

Click here for an episode transcript

Episode photos: (Click and hover for captions)

Video: Then-Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama bows (literally) to New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner. (As captured by the Associated Press.)

 

 
 

Episode 2: The DRAGON EGG

Jimmy Carter’s 1976 primary campaign gave New Hampshire one hell of a gift: the state’s best argument for why it deserves the privileged status of having the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

And it also gave a lot of politicos in this state their ticket to power.

Click here for a transcript of this episode

Episode photos: (Click and hover for FULL IMAGES)

Banner image of courtesy Ken Rudin

 
 

Episode 3: The Midnight special

A bobblehead doll of Neil Tillotson, the founder of the midnight vote at Dixville Notch, which was purchased from the New Hampshire Historical Society.

A bobblehead doll of Neil Tillotson, the founder of the midnight vote at Dixville Notch, which was purchased from the New Hampshire Historical Society.

Every four years, a caravan of national news networks descends on a remote corner of New Hampshire to broadcast the first results from the first-in-the-nation primary.

What appears on the TV screen usually looks like a slice of Small Town, USA. A picture-perfect image of participatory democracy, complete with a big wooden ballot box and a town moderator with a pocket watch and a big bow tie. A community that takes their civic duty so seriously they rise in the middle of the night to cast their ballots. And maybe (just maybe) a hint of where the election is heading.

The wall-to-wall coverage of Dixville Notch by some major news outlets might lead you to believe that they started this midnight voting tradition, or that their vote is unique, or that it holds greater weight than of the other precincts in New Hampshire.

But there’s more — a lot more — to the story.

More BEHIND-the-scenes tales from Dixville Notch:

An academic perspective on the midnight vote:

In 1980, two Plymouth State University professors teamed up to examine Dixville Notch’s approach to democracy — and the media’s obsession with it. (Produced by Vermont Public Radio and made available by the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.)

EXPLORE THE NEWS STORIES THAT HELPED US TELL THIS STORY (CLICK AND HOVER TO ENLARGE THE PHOTOS BELOW):

 
 

Episode 4: The identity crisis

When New Hampshire is up against the wall, when other states are trying to creep up on the first-in-the-nation primary, people here insist we’re special. That no one else can do it like we do.

This episode is about that stranglehold.

For decades, New Hampshire could stand its ground and knock down anybody that tried to steal its prized possession. But how long can a state hold on? Battle lines are being redrawn, and these days, the threats aren’t coming from the usual suspects.

National politics…the media…technology…it’s all changing - and the New Hampshire primary can’t escape it.

episode photos

When Stranglehold’s Lauren Chooljian was a student at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, she had a front row seat to the 2008 New Hampshire primary, as promised in the school’s recruitment effort.

She also joined a group called Protect Our Primary, a campaign that recruited students in an effort to get candidates to help New Hampshire keep its first-in-the-nation status.

(Click the photos to see captions.)

 
 

Episode 5: The Weekend

In New Hampshire, presidential politics is kind of like a state sport…and just like football, it can get it a little rough.

In just a few months, voters in New Hampshire will send some presidential candidates limping out of the Granite State and maybe lift others to future victories.

But do New Hampshire voters value that privilege? Do they deserve it? You might be surprised what they had to say.

episode photos

Click the photos in the gallery to see shots from the 2019 New Hampshire Democratic Convention…and photos from season opening football games at New Hampshire high schools.

Convention photos by Allegra Boverman. Football photos by Jason Moon and Annie Ropeik.

 
 

Episode 6: Manipulate the manipulation

The New Hampshire town hall has long had a special place in the first-in-the-nation primary story. It’s a forum where normal people can have real interactions with presidential candidates.

But lately, it's starting to feel like those interactions are being co-opted by outside forces.

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Photos by Jason Moon.

 
 

Episode 7: The office

There’s a drab office in the New Hampshire State House that, for two weeks every four years, is a pilgrimage site for would-be presidents.

We’ll take you inside that office, where candidates of all stripes have been formalizing their 2020 bids. We’ll also unpack why something so fundamentally bureaucratic as filing  paperwork to get on a ballot has become a ritual with deep significance for those with a stake in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation status.

Photos of Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg at the New Hampshire State House for their primary filings by Allegra Boverman and Dan Tuohy.

 
 

Episode 8: alive and dying

As New Hampshire’s presidential primary culture of intimate house parties gives way to a culture of giant rallies, what’s lost and gained in the process?

And who benefits from that shift?


Episode transcript will be posted shortly

episode photos

Photos by Jason Moon

 
 

Ep 9: The crescendo

New Hampshire’s primary date has been set - it’s February 11th. Remember when Secretary of State Bill Gardner said he’d let us interview him after he set that date?

Well, we've run into Gardner several times since we started this podcast. And he had some interesting things to say about our reporting, as well as politics, diversity, and ongoing threats to the New Hampshire Primary.

Episode transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 10: The Moldy cookie

One politician vouching for another may be the most basic political transaction. The renown and reputation of the endorser flows to the endorsee, the candidate gets a boost and everyone comes out the other side feeling good.

At least that’s the idea.

The reality is murkier, and even New Hampshire politicos who make a public ritual out of picking a presidential candidate to support will tell you that endorsements probably don’t matter in New Hampshire these days…if they ever did in the first place.

Click here for an episode transcript

Click here for Josh Roger’s reporting on Lou D’Allesandro, the self-proclaimed “Lion of the N.H. Senate”

 
 

BONUS: THE OTHER FIRST STATE

You may have heard New Hampshire isn’t TOTALLY first in the nation. New Hampshire may be the first primary, but Iowa is the first caucus, and the first event in the presidential election calendar.

We invited Kate Payne and Clay Masters, hosts of the Caucus Land podcast from Iowa Public Radio, to talk about how Iowa got that first spot, and we find out what Iowans think of New Hampshire.

Episode transcript will be available shortly.

Banner photo of Mayor Pete Buttigieg at the Iowa State Fair by Gage Skidmore via Flickr CC.

 
 

Ep 11: The LONG SHOT

We spend a day on the trail, chasing a myth: Can New Hampshire catapult a struggling campaign all the way to the White House? Or are some campaigns just deluding themselves?

Episode transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 12: The outsiders

Sometimes, it takes a bunch of outsiders to rattle the cage of a bunch of insiders.

In past episodes, we’ve heard from a lot of insiders: People who know they have political power and who hold onto it. 

But this week, we bring you a different perspective. One that challenges what passes for normal political discourse in this state.

Episode transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 13: The Newsroom

This is an episode we’ve been thinking about for a long time. It’s a story about us: The New Hampshire media.

We can’t dig into the primary without picking apart one of the most essential pieces of this powerful institution. And as we hold up the mirror to ourselves and our colleagues, we see just how much the local media has helped maintain the so called stranglehold. And how we’ve all benefited in the process.

Special thanks to Felice Belman, Ralph Jimenez, Sarah Koenig, Alec MacGillis, and Scott Spradling.

Episode transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 14: WTF IOWA???

After caucus chaos Monday night, many in New Hampshire are wondering: If Iowa gets punished for this caucus mess, will New Hampshire take a hit too?

Episode transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 15: What’s It Worth?

There is nothing New Hampshire is more famous for than the presidential primary. And that fame has a value of its own - a value greater than dollars spent or earned.

In this episode, we try to answer the question: How does that value help to explain this state’s stranglehold on the presidential nominating process? 

Transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 16: All out

It’s Primary Day. Let’s dive in.

The N.H. presidential primary is here and the stranglehold is on full display. We give you a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the craziest weeks in American politics.

Want to make sure NHPR continues creating projects like Stranglehold? Donate $20 today right here: www.strangleholdpodcast.org

Transcript will be posted shortly

 
 

Ep 17: Via Live stream

While most of the candidates are either celebrating or conceding in New Hampshire, one former front runner is conspicuously absent from a party in his honor.

In this special episode, produced in the midnight hours after the 2020 N.H. primary, we take you to a campaign headquarters that’s missing its candidate, and speculate what the election results may mean for the future of the New Hampshire primary.

Want to make sure NHPR continues creating projects like Stranglehold? Donate $20 today right here: www.strangleholdpodcast.org

Transcript will be posted shortly

 

EPISODE 18: MAKE ROOM

New Hampshire’s “stranglehold” on the way we pick presidents could be losing its grip. The Democratic Party changed its presidential nominating calendar to give voters of color more sway. But New Hampshire isn’t backing down, setting up a major test of the stranglehold and its power.

Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP

Click here for an episode transcript