Earliest ever presidential primary filing ends with robust field

CONCORD, N.H. -- The three week period for candidates to file for the New Hampshire presidential primary ballot ended today with the second largest field of candiates in history.

Some 44 candidates -- 23 Democrats and 21 Republicans -- filed to run for president. All that is required to run is for a person to meet the constitutional requirements of age and residency, be a registered voter in the party they are seeking the nomination of, and fill out paperwork and deliver a $1,000 check.

Unlike some previous years every major candidate seeking the presidency, except for California Congressman Duncan Hunter, filed their papers in person and took questions from the press, per the tradition.

New England had a disproportionate amount of candidates. Three presidential candidates were from Massachusetts and one each from Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The presidential primary ballot also allows candidates to run for vice president. Two of the three who filed for that job where from Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

That said, New York state had six people file to run for president and one person for vice president.

For the 1992 New Hampshire Primary 63 people ran for president, the most ever.