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Up for Grabs: Campaigning, Debating and the New Hampshire Primary

Are you ready? It is that time again when New Hampshire takes center stage and the presidential primaries begin in earnest. We've mined the manuscript and archival collections to take a look at the history of the primaries with a special nod to their impact on campus. Come to the Class of 1965 Galleries in Rauner Library to get in the spirit of the season!

The exhibit was curated by Barbara Krieger and Jay Satterfield. The exhibit was on display in the Class of 1965 Galleries from January 4 to February 12, 2016.
Up for Grabs poster
You may download a small, 8x10 version of the poster: UpForGrabs.jpg. You may also download a handlist of the items in this exhibition: UpForGrabs.

Materials Included in the Exhibition

Case 1. Debates at Dartmouth

  1. All the photos are either from digital archives photo files or digital photo records.
    1. Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Barack Obama and John Edwards at the 2007 Democratic presidential candidates debate.
    2. Supporters and protesters on the Dartmouth Green, for the 2007 Democratic presidential candidates debate.
    3. Bill Bradley and Al Gore in a town hall debate, 1999.
    4. Bob Dole  and George H.W. Bush were both on campus for the 1988 republican presidential candidates debate.
    5. Using Daniel Wesbter’s hat, candidates draw for seating positions on stage for the 1984 Democratic debate. Shown here are Reubin Askew, Charles Schumer, Gillis Long, Gary Hart, Frank Smallwood, Walter Mondale and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
  2. DVD, Security pass, and tickets from Vertical File: Republican Presidential Candidates Debate, 2011.
  3. Press pass and program: Vertical File: Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate, 2007.
  4. Press pass, ticket , program: Vertical File: Republican Presidential Candidates Debate, 1988
  5. Clippings: Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate (1984) Records; Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences, Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate records, DA-98
  6. Bumper stickers, pins, etc. from The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147

Dartmouth's Presidential Candidates Debates

1984 • January 15 • Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate: John Glenn, Alan Cranston, Ernest Hollings, George McGovern, Gary Hart, Walter Mondale, Jesse Jackson, and Reuben Askew

1988 • January 16 • Republican Candidates Debate: George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, Peter du Pont, Alexander Haig, Jack Kemp, and Pat Robertson

1999 • October 27 • Democrats Al Gore and Bill Bradley met for town meeting forum.

1999 • October 28 • Republican candidates John McCain, Orrin Hatch, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, and Alan Keyes, a town meeting forum

2004 • January 25 • Our Lifetime Commitment: Every Woman Counts, Democratic Presidential Candidates Forum: Howard Dean, Joe Lieberman, Dennis Kucinich. (John Edwards and John Kerry declined to attend)

2007 • September 26 • Democratic Presidential Primary Debate. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Jon Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson

2011 • October 11 • Republican Presidential Candidates Debate: Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gringrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum

 

Case 2. The 1968 Primary

In 1968, the New Hampshire primary significantly reshaped the presidential race. On the Democratic side, Eugene McCarthy’s surprisingly strong showing contributed to President Johnson’s decision to drop out of the race. On the Republican side, Michigan Governor George Romney’s weak polling numbers caused him to withdraw just before the primary leaving a clear path to the nomination for Richard Nixon.

The urgency of the draft, the Vietnam War, and the rumor that Nelson Rockefeller ’30 might enter the race made the primary particularly poignant to Dartmouth students. The Dartmouth provided extensive coverage and the 1968 Aegis devoted four pages to the political excitement.

All sticker and posters in this case came from MS-1147 Box 4 unless otherwise noted.

  1. Campaign Buttons:
    1. “Nixon’s the One!” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
    2. “HHH Humphrey” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
    3. “Rockefeller in ‘68” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
    4. “Romney ‘68” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
    5. “McCarthy’s Millions” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
    6. “Rockefeller” lapel pin The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
  2. Stickers:
    1. “McC” flower sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 19
    2. “Eugene McCarthy” flower sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2 folder 19
    3. “LBJ” sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    4. “HHH” sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    5. “Rocky” flower sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 10
    6. “Another Republican for Johnson” bumper sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    7. “Win with Nixon” bumper sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    8. “Whoever You’re Pulling For VOTE” bumper sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
  3. Posters:
    1. “McCarthy Speaks to New Hampshire” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    2. “At Last Democrats had a Political Alternative” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    3. “Rocky has Never Lost an Election” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
    4. “Romney Great for ’68” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
  4. Flyers and documents:
    1. “Why are these men for Nixon” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 9
    2. John Neale letter supporting President Johnson, March 7, 1968 The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 24
    3. Receipt for “2 6 paks of Beer for Paul Newman” The Papers of David C. Hoeh, ML-56, Box 6, folder 2
    4. “Come Meet Senator Eugene McCarthy at a Fund Raising Cocktail Party” invitation The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 19
    5. The Aegis 1968

 

Case 3. The New Hampshire Primary

New Hampshire has held a Presidential preferential primary  since 1916, but it wasn’t until 1952, under new election laws designed to increase voter turnout, that the nation turned to New Hampshire to test the presidential waters.  Candidates entered, or left, the race based on the primary’s results.  For 10 election years, 1952 through 1988, the person elected president in November had also won his party’s primary in New Hampshire. It’s not hard to see why every four years politics in New Hampshire is big news.

  1. The 1952 primary season was a rarity, when a challenge to either party’s incumbent President was successful.
  2. John F. Kennedy campaigning on campus in 1960. Digital photo records.
  3. Gary Hart at a press conference at the Hanover Inn in 1987, campaigning for the 1988 New Hampshire primary. He dropped out of the race two days later.
  4. Dartmouth College Journalists' Guide to the New Hampshire Presidential Primary 2000, DC History JK 2075.N42 D37 2000
  5. First Step to the White House: The New Hampshire Primary, 1952-1980, by Charles Brereton; Papers of William Dunfey, MS-1039, Box 24
  6. First Primary: Presidential Politics in New Hampshire, Manchester Union Leader, 1987; Papers of William Dunfey, MS-1039, Box 24
  7. First in the Nation: New Hampshire and the Premiere Presidential Primary, Charles Brereton, 1987; Alumni R59fir.

Winners of New Hampshire Presidential Primary, 1952 – 2012

Year

Democrats

Republicans

Elected President
1952 Estes Kefauver Dwight David Eisenhower Eisenhower
1956 Estes Kefauver Dwight David Eisenhower Eisenhower
1960 John F. Kennedy Richard Nixon     Kennedy
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson Henry Cabot Lodge Johnson
1968 Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon     Nixon
1972 Edmund Muskee Richard Nixon     Nixon
1976 Jimmy Carter Gerald Ford Carter
1980 Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan Reagan
1984 Gary Hart Ronald Reagan  Reagan
1988 Michael Dukakis George W. Bush Bush
1992 Paul Tsongas George W. Bush Clinton
1996 Bill Clinton Pat Buchanan Clinton
2000 Al Gore John McCain Bush
2004 John Kerry George W. Bush Bush
2008 Hillary Clinton John McCain Obama
2012 Barack Obama Mitt Romney Obama