Witness to primary history

LAWRENCE -- Ted Kennedy would have been a great president. At least, that's how a young Richard Padova saw it 26 years ago. Back in 1980, the Massachusetts senator was Padova's pick in the New Hampshire presidential primary. Padova, like many Americans at the time, was angry at President Jimmy Carter . As Padova saw it, Carter was responsible for the nation's runaway inflation, high interest rates, and rising oil prices.

In New Hampshire, the Lawrence native made phone calls on Kennedy's behalf. Some people were polite when Padova asked them to support Kennedy. Others swore at him and hung up. In the end, Kennedy failed to provide a strong enough rationale for his candidacy, and Carter retook the Democratic nomination for president. Like a good Democrat, Padova got behind Carter, who then went on to lose to former California Governor Ronald Reagan in a landslide.

But Padova wasn't demoralized. In fact, you could say he was hooked.

Since the Kennedy/Carter matchup, Padova, now 46, has been involved in every New Hampshire presidential primary either as a volunteer, a parade marcher, or a letter writer. Along the way, the history and geography professor at Northern Essex Community College has collected buttons, candidate signs, autographs, photos, and of course, stories. Plenty of stories.

This February, Padova will share some of those stories in a book, "First in the Nation: One Insider's View of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, 1980-2004."

"It will be a memoir about my experiences," said Padova, who is also a government professor at Bentley College. "Humorous and serious."

For Padova, the New Hampshire presidential primaries are watershed moments in American politics. It's a state where political dreams are made or shattered, and where White House hopefuls enter on a level playing field. That playing field is historic and tells Americans something about themselves, even if it can get a little muddy.

On the campaign trail, Padova saw Reagan explode onto the scene and witnessed Gary Hart implode on the pages of New Hampshire newspapers. He observed Arizona Senator John McCain coming out of nowhere with his town meetings to win the primary in 2000, and Bill Clinton claw his way to a strong second while fighting sexual allegations by Gennifer Flowers in 1992.

He also saw those quirky or unfortunate moments few remember (except the losers, of course). Indiana Senator Richard Lugar announced his intention to run for president the same day as the Oklahoma City bombing in 1996. Then Lugar failed to go to New Hampshire right after to start his campaign, a must for any candidate. Very few people will say it publicly, but Lugar was short, and to some voters, he didn't seem presidential, said Padova.

"I don't get too much into that [in the book]. I try to stay on their campaign strategies and personalities, " said Padova. "But it does matter to some people."

Then there are those candidates, who "look" presidential, but go nowhere. Case in point, take former Texas governor John Connally. As Padova remembered, Connally was tall, handsome, and had that presidential look when he jumped in the New Hampshire primary in 1980. He even raised more money than any of the other candidates, even Reagan. But his image as a Texas "wheeler dealer" hurt him among New Hampshire voters, and after spending $11 million during the campaign, he received just one delegate.

Padova also has a special "what were you thinking?" category for White House hopefuls. Among the top of the list is former Colorado Senator Gary Hart , who entered the race in 1988 as the Democratic front-runner but fell apart after a photo with model Donna Rice sitting on his lap appeared in newspapers. In 2000, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch jumped into the presidential primary but had a high school student run his campaign.

"There are a lot of those moments when you go: 'what were you thinking?' " Padova said.

Padova got into politics during his high school years at Central Catholic in Lawrence. A child of Italian-American Democrats, he entered as a Democrat but now considers himself an independent. After completing his studies at Salem State and Northeastern University, he moved to New Hampshire where he participated in the primaries as a volunteer and a voter.

In his home are artifacts for the primaries he has seen, and some from primaries before he was even born. He has campaign buttons from Richard Nixon , signs from John F. Kennedy, and specially made pots for FDR . Padova even has a Florida voting booth from Miami-Dade county and a famous butterfly ballot that many specialists believe gave the 2000 election to President Bush over Al Gore .

Lori Padova , Richard's wife of 16 years, said her husband's passion for the New Hampshire primary has sparked her interest in politics, too. Their experiences together have given her an opportunity to be a more informed voter by meeting presidential hopefuls. Lori Padova said she accompanies her husband to a number of candidate rallies.

During the 2004 primary, for example, the couple saw Massachusetts Senator John Kerry play hockey. They went to a Wesley Clark pancake breakfast. And they spent New Year's Eve with Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah .

"If I hadn't married him, I would have never me t these candidates," said Lori.

But rubbing elbows with presidential hopefuls didn't mean the couple was on the same page when it came time to vote. In 2000, Lori supported Al Gore while Richard first got behind Republican Elizabeth Dole , then Democrat Bill Bradley . And Lori swears that in 2004 North Carolina Senator John Edwards cured her sore shoulder by just touching it.

"I don't know if I believe that," Richard Padova said, laughing.

Of the seven New Hampshire primaries Padova has seen, only one of his candidates -- Bill Clinton in 1996 -- won the primary and went on to take the White House. Padova said that's because he's always going for the underdog and a "fresh new voice." Among Padova's candidates were John Glenn in 1984, Richard Gephardt in 1988, Bob Kerrey in 1992 and Dole and Bradley in 2000. He also was sure that 2004 would have been the year for Lieberman . Padova's record in New Hampshire primaries is 1-6.

As the 2008 contest gets closer, Padova said he's already keeping close tabs on potential candidates. Padova believes voters should keep an eye on New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh for the Democrats and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Republicans.

Has Padova made up his mind on whom to support yet?

"It's still too early," said Padova. "But based on my record, I don't think they'd want my support. They might run from me."

Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.