Q&A: New Hampshire primary

Can Dean revive his campaign after Iowa's disappointment?

The American presidential election campaign moves to New Hampshire where the first primary election is held on Tuesday 27 January. BBC News Online's foreign affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds examines the process.

Has the campaign to elect a Democrat challenger to George Bush suddenly got exciting?

Yes. The vote in Iowa has thrown the race among the Democrats wide open.

Conventional wisdom had it that the former governor of Vermont Dr Howard Dean would at least make a strong showing there. But this turned out to be conventional ignorance and he came in third.

The winner was Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts and Senator John Edwards from South Carolina came second.

New Hampshire therefore assumes major significance. Can Mr Kerry continue in front or will Dean come back? What about the young Senator Edwards?

Two other candidates join the fray in New Hampshire - retired general Wesley Clark and Senator Joe Lieberman.

What actually happens in a primary?

Voters get the chance to choose the presidential candidate for their party by ballot. The method therefore differs from the caucuses or meetings in Iowa, which people had to attend and where they declared their preference openly.

Clark joins the fray for the first time in New Hampshire

It is also more binding. In the Democratic Party, 22 of New Hampshire's 27 delegates to the national convention which will nominate the candidate in July will be assigned at this stage. Most states use the primary system.

President Bush is unopposed in the Republican Party, so all eyes are on the Democrats.

Why is New Hampshire always the first primary?

It's a tradition which goes back to 1920. In those days, New Hampshire voters selected delegates to make the presidential choice. Then in 1952, they voted directly for the candidate.

So New Hampshire has helped lead the way in direct democracy and this has been recognised by other states.

Holding the first primary is a tradition which the state fiercely protects. It argues that someone has to be first and that it deserves its place. It tolerates Iowa holding its caucuses beforehand because it regards a primary as more important than a caucus.

"We can correct Iowa's mistakes," is the general attitude.

Doesn't this give too much power to a small state?

Big states like California do make that argument. That is why California has moved its own primary from June to March. Otherwise the race might have been over before it even voted.

New Hampshire replies that although it is small (population 1.3 million) it is a good test for the candidates.

They have to get up close and personal with the voters, going into diners, shops, factories and church halls. Trudging through the snows of the Granite State is a tradition of American politics. It is also not so expensive for a candidate to run there so it evens the race out a bit by not favouring the candidate that can raise the most funds.

Does New Hampshire tend to predict the eventual president?

It used to be New Hampshire's boast that it was "Always first and always right". To be elected president, you had to have won the New Hampshire primary.

Then in 1992, Bill Clinton broke the mould. He was second in New Hampshire yet became president. To be fair to New Hampshire, he was such a strong second there that his campaign was revived.

In 2000, the same thing happened on the Republican side. George W Bush lost to Senator John McCain in New Hampshire but went on to become president.

So the old rule no longer holds. New Hampshire can be influential but it is not an infallible guide.

Its record in correctly predicting the party's candidates is even more patchy. It scored in 1980, when Ronald Reagan won in New Hampshire against George Bush senior in 1980, overturning Bush's earlier victory in Iowa.

It was instrumental in lifting Jimmy Carter to prominence in 1976 and in 1980 it identified Senator Edward Kennedy's weakness against President Carter.

But Pat Buchanan in 1992, Gary Hart in 1984, and Edmund Muskie in 1972 all won in New Hampshire yet failed to be nominated their party's candidate.

What comes after New Hampshire?

There is a rush this year because many of the primaries have been bunched up together early in the year. It's called frontloading. Nobody wants to be left behind. By 9 March, one candidate could have got a majority of the delegates.

It makes for more excitement if it's close. Each race assumes great importance because there is less time between votes for reflection and recovery - and fundraising.

There are some crucial dates coming up. On the 3 February the so-called "Super Seven" is held - votes in Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, New Mexico and North Dakota.

South Carolina is seen as especially important as it is the first southern state to show its hand.

On 2 March, "Super Tuesday", votes in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Minnesota are held.

On 9 March there are votes in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. This is when one candidate could achieve a majority of the delegates for the Democratic nomination.