New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner and other officials made the announcement at a press conference after months of uncertainty about the timing of contests that help determine each party's nominee for the presidential election on November 4, 2008.

The January 8 date, the earliest ever for New Hampshire, means voters in the northeastern state will go to the polls five days after presidential caucuses in the Midwestern state of Iowa and seven days before any other state primary votes.

"Just five days after Iowa is not preferable, but what Iowa voters decide to do with their caucuses on January 3 will be looked at by New Hampshire voters," said Jim Splaine, a state lawmaker.

"The real importance of the primary is that there are seven days for the rest of the country to see what New Hampshire did," said Splaine, in a news conference carried live on C-SPAN television.

In America's quirky state-by-state nominating process, caucuses such as those in Iowa see people flock to meetings in schools, public buildings and private homes all over the state to choose among candidates.

Primaries are a straight-ahead vote, with voters casting ballots in either the Republican party race or the Democratic party's nomination contest. New Hampshire, however, allows independents who are not registered with either party to participate.

New Hampshire has long played a pivotal role in shaping the presidential race. State officials were keen to protect its fabled "first in the nation" status after other states compressed the electoral calendar by bumping up the date of their contests.

Gardner announced the date shortly after Michigan's Supreme Court confirmed that state's primary could be held on January 15.

US elections were once a slower process which began in the winter cold of Iowa and New Hampshire and progressed across the country, state-by-state, and often wound up in the summer heat, in places like California.

But the calendar has been narrowing in recent election cycles, as more populous, diverse states have tried to stake out a more influential position in the race.

After the first contests in January, this year will feature a "tsunami Tuesday" on February 5, when at least 21 states will hold what is a de facto national primary, which many experts believe will effectively crown two nominees.

An opinion poll this month showed presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton leading the pack of Democratic contenders in New Hampshire, but she has lost some ground as other candidates chip away at her lead, said a CNN poll released November 12.

Among Republicans, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is leading in a fluid race trailed by Senator John McCain and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to a CNN poll published on Tuesday.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, who is focusing on Iowa and New Hampshire, promptly issued a statement praising the state's decision that he said will "protect New Hampshire's significance in our nominating process."

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