Concord Ledger

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner began the new year by announcing his retirement after 45 years as the state’s top election official.

Gardner, who holds the distinction as the longest-serving secretary of state in the U.S., will be replaced by Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan in a matter of days.

"In the coming days, I will be stepping down as the secretary of state," Gardner said, according to CNN Politics. "I will do so after arrangements have been made for the constitutional deputy Dave Scanlan to take the oath of office."

William Gardner | Wikimedia Commons

Gardner has held the position since 1976, serving under both Democratic and Republican legislatures.

He nearly lost the seat to Democrat Colin Van Ostern in the 2018 midterms, but narrowly prevailed against the former New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate.

According to CNN, Gardner adamantly fought to uphold New Hampshire's status as the First in the Nation primary state, which earned him a lot of notoriety. Traditionally, New Hampshire has had the distinction of holding the first presidential primary election every four years.

A member of the Republican Party, he asserted that the First in the Nation primary is part of the state “culture.”

"We're not smarter than anybody, any others. It's just part of the DNA of the state," Gardner said in a 2016 NPR interview. "It's part of our political heritage, our culture."

Gov. Chris Sununu (R) praised Gardner for his lengthy service to New Hampshire.

“Granite Staters owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Secretary of State Bill Gardner,” Sununu tweeted Jan. 3. “For decades, Bill has fiercely protected New Hampshire's First in the Nation presidential primary and overseen our elections that are truly a point of pride -- always open, fair, accessible and accurate. We will miss Bill and his vast institutional knowledge of New Hampshire people, politics and government. Here’s to a well-deserved retirement and best wishes from all the Sununus."