Now that South Carolina has set its Republican presidential primary for Jan. 19, 2008, New Hampshire's choices narrow.

State law says the presidential primary has to be seven days ahead of any similar contest. If Secretary of State Bill Gardner wants to go with tradition and hold it on a Tuesday, it would have to be Jan. 8. That could push the Iowa caucus, which is supposed to be eight days before similar events, to New Year's Day or into this December.

But that's only if the primary is held on a Tuesday. Any date on or before Saturday, Jan. 12, will do just fine, and new law allows Gardner to pick any day of the week.

Gardner sounded a little wistful in front of reporters Thursday.

"In the past it was pretty clear it would be held on a Tuesday. This time that's not so clear," Gardner told a room packed with reporters. "The tradition of a Tuesday is something I hold dear, but I would not say it is beyond the realm of possibilities that it will be a day other than Tuesday." He is leaving Iowa's decision to Iowa.

"If Iowa wants to go sometime in December, that's up to Iowa. ... It's certainly my preference that New Hampshire stay in calendar 2008 and that New Hampshire is helpful so that others can stay in 2008, but they may not want to stay in 2008," he said.

He explained later that he'd pick another day of the week, "in the event of some extraordinary circumstances, if that would be the only way to help preserve someone else's traditions."

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said Friday that the caucuses need to be in January. Period.

Parties make the final decision on Sept. 8.

Meanwhile, Michigan Democrats are saying that they're willing to move their primary into December to thwart the Granite State.

"It's time to end New Hampshire's lock on issues," said Debbie Dingell, one of Michigan's representatives on the Democratic National Committee, last week.

Concord political consultant Rich Killion of Elevare Communications said Gardner seemed to signal last week that we could see something new in 2008.

"I would never have thought that he would move it from a Tuesday," he said. "I thought it was a nuclear option in the new law."

Attorney Martin Gross said a Saturday pick would be "a supreme irony." He said a bipartisan commission that worked 20 years ago on how to improve voter turnout recommended a move to Saturday elections.

"Billy Gardner dynamited that idea," he said.

Democrats and Republicans on the committee (he was among them) felt "Saturday is the one day of the week most people would be free to participate," Gross said. "It was a common sense recommendation."

State law says the primary should be on town meeting day, or seven days ahead any similar election, whichever is earlier. Town meeting day used to be a Tuesday.

Oddly enough, many towns use that as ballot day but hold their actual town meeting on the following Saturday.

Eight years ago, Gardner announced the Feb. 1 primary date in September. Gardner can wait a month longer this time. The only issues are giving absentee voters time to get and return ballots and making sure local election officials have ballots in hand a week in advance.

One question is the lengths Iowa will go to ensure a January caucus.

Remember the pork convention? It's an annual winter event in Iowa. Eight years ago Iowan political leaders started squealing that New Hampshire's Feb. 1 date would create a conflict between its caucuses and the annual Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines.

Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and key Democrats bought the story. The Iowa influence even spawned a futile drive to strip Gardner of his authority to set the primary date.

It ended up that the pork argument was a bluff. Pork people ended their meeting two days before the caucus began. They later shrugged about the supposed problem, saying all they noticed was that Des Moines hotel rooms were a little more expensive than usual.

The 2008 pork convention, by the way, is Jan. 23 and 24.

BIRTHDAY HONORS: One of the state's foremost advocates for the primary was the late Gov. Hugh Gregg. His wife, Cay Gregg -- who is also Sen. Judd Gregg's mother -- celebrates her 90th birthday this week.

Gov. John Lynch plans to issue a proclamation in her honor.

Mrs. Gregg stayed in the background most of the time. But she has been an influence in her own right, especially on environmental and preservation issues. She was largely responsible for the state's acquisition of the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth, the home of two Colonial governors and the meeting place for the original Governor and Council; the preservation of the Robert Frost Homestead in Derry; and inclusion of the Kilkenny Wilderness Area in the White Mountain National Forest.

Gardner recalled that Mrs. Gregg was at his side when he announced the date of the 2004 presidential primary during the unveiling of the book he and Hugh Gregg wrote together, "Why New Hampshire?"

"She's a wonderful woman," said Gardner, who occasionally has dinner with her.

EDUCATION'S PRICE TAG

A joint House-Senate committee meets for the first time Aug. 27 to start the work of putting a price tag on the state's new definition of an adequate education.

Sen. Iris Estabrook and Rep. Emma Rous, chairs of their respective education committees, are on joint committee on costing. Others are Senate Majority Leader Joe Foster, Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, Rep. Judith Reever, Rep. Randy Foose and Republicans Sen. Peter Bragdon and Sen. Bob Odell, Rep. David Hess and Rep. Ken Weyler.

The committee's work will carry enormous importance for the next state elections.

If the panel sets the cost too high, the state has to find money, likely with a new tax plan. Lynch has pledged to veto a sales or income tax. A common estimate is the standards will require $400 million more in state aid funds. If the cost of adequacy comes in too low, school districts on the short end will sue for a bigger share.

A constitutional amendment could solve some of the problem by giving Lynch flexibility to distribute aid differently, but that'll be an uphill battle.

Democrats gave the governor tepid applause when he raised the idea in his inauguration speech, and delivered an amendment bill a total smackdown just a few months ago. The bill got 108 votes, when it needed 240 to pass.

If lawmakers approve an amendment in 2008, voters will weigh in on the same day they vote for governor. With no amendment, Lynch will face voters uncertain about where taxes are headed.

GOP contest: Stella Scamman, wife of former House Speaker Doug Scamman and a former House member herself, said last week that she'll run for state Republican National Committeewoman in party elections this fall. The party needs to select a replacement for Nancy Merrill, who left office early.

Scamman joins Phyllis Woods of Dover, Wendy Stanley Jones of Durham and Carol Holden of Amherst in the contest, which will be decided in October.

Tom Fahey is the State House bureau chief.