The national Republican Party appears on its way to making a dramatic about-face in its stance toward New Hampshire's leadoff presidential primary.

The Republican National Committee's rules committee voted 28-12 yesterday to endorse a 2012 presidential primary and caucus calendar that for the first time recognizes and preserves the primary's first-in-the-nation position. It's a stark contrast from the current GOP rule, which allows no special status for New Hampshire.

"This is an important step in the right direction," said rules committee member Sean Mahoney of Portsmouth, the point man in the local effort. "The rules committee really does appreciate the importance of traditional, retail grassroots campaigning, where candidates who may be underfunded can come in and meet voters on a one-one-one basis."

"There is broad consensus that our Republican nominating process has worked well," said state GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen.

The vote, while important, was not the final word. It is a recommendation from an influential committee that will be taken up by the full Republican National Committee in August. From there, the plan, either intact or changed, will go to the separate rules committee of the Republican National Convention, and then to the full convention for a final vote.

The Republicans, unlike the Democrats, cannot change their rules between conventions, so if the current plans get final approval, it is set through the 2012 presidential campaign and can't be changed until the 2012 convention.

The so-called "modified Ohio plan" endorsed yesterday, sponsored by long-time Ohio RNC member Bob Bennett, also recognizes early roles for Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada. But it allows only Iowa to hold its caucus before the New Hampshire primary.

The plan also pushes the entire primary and caucus process back, saying that "Iowa and New Hampshire may begin their process at any time during the first week of February," but not before, and, "South Carolina and Nevada may begin their process at any time after New Hampshire conducts its process."

Mahoney said an amendment pushed the opening date back from Jan. 15 to avoid another conflict between campaigning and the holidays.

The plan allows 20 participants in a "small states and territories pod" to begin holding primaries or caucuses in the third week of February. Three "rotating" pods comprising larger states would hold their events beginning on the first full week of March, the fourth week of March and the third full week of April.

The order of these pods would be determined by lottery for 2012. The pod that goes first that year will then move to the back of the line while the next pod moves up to first in 2016 so that each rotating group will be first once in every three presidential cycles. But the four early states would remain in their leadoff position.

Mahoney acknowledged it will be a challenge to fit four early events into the first three weeks of February, but said Secretary of State Bill Gardner (or whoever is secretary of state in 2011 and 2012) will have to work with the other early states' election officials to be sure the primary is held at least a week ahead of any similar election, as called for in state law.

"We're pleased with the outcome, no doubt," Mahoney said. "But it's not the final word, and we are not taking anything for granted. There are still hurdles we need to jump through, but this is definitely good news."

Friend John

John McCain is the primary's leading cheerleader, and his campaign, after monitoring the situation for several weeks, had veteran chief strategist Charlie Black talk to key members of the rules committee and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan.

McCain adviser Steve Duprey said that through Black and other campaign operatives, McCain "made it emphatically clear to officials of the RNC what he believes about New Hampshire."

Mike Dennehy, McCain's longtime friend and senior adviser, noted that if the proposed rule passes, "It will be the very first time that the RNC has ever voted to preserve the status of the New Hampshire primary in party rules."

The Democrats have long -- although sometimes begrudgingly -- recognized the state's leadoff role.

In the past, state Republicans were forced to apply for exemptions to calendar rules that had no special place for New Hampshire. Such exemptions had always been granted until this year, when the party sanctioned the state for going early, withholding half its delegates to the national convention.

McCain took his praise for the state and its voters to late-night television on Tuesday, telling talk show host David Letterman: "First you have to win their respect, and then you win the vote. And New Hampshire is an interesting state. People want to examine the candidates. They want to see them, they want to hear from them. And they want you to hear from them."

"If we can make this stick, this will be an incredible win for the New Hampshire primary, thanks in very large measure to John McCain," Duprey said. "Hopefully, the people of New Hampshire will remember this in the upcoming election."

Former RNC member Tom Rath called the vote "a tremendous accomplishment for Sean Mahoney. It proves we've made a bunch of friends on the rules committee," and, he said, over the past decade, Ohio plan sponsor Bennett has turned from a foe to friend of New Hampshire.

"You can't do any better than this," Rath said.

The next step

The national GOP now finds itself set to sanction New Hampshire for breaking the current rule while endorsing an early primary for 2012. That inconsistency will give local Republicans and McCain a strong basis for an expected effort at the convention to seat the full delegation.

Despite the impending sanctions, the Republicans are set to send a full complement of 24 delegates to the convention -- 12 from the McCain camp, seven from Mitt Romney's camp, two representing Mike Huckabee and Mahoney, Cullen and fellow RNC member Phyllis Woods.

Huckabee's camp has named campaign co-chairs Fred Bramante and Cliff Hurst as its delegates. The other two campaigns are waiting to name their delegates until they receive official notice of the delegate breakdown from Secretary of State Gardner, as outlined in state law.

Gardner says he has withheld notice longer than in past cycles due to little-known candidate Albert Howard's pending appeal to the state Ballot Law Commission of the recent Republican primary recount. The BLC expects to meet on the appeal later this month, Gardner said.

Colin's return

As state Democrats continue to gear up for the election battles ahead, they reorganized components of their campaign and recruited a veteran of past wars for a key position.

The national party-funded "Stop Sununu" effort has been discontinued and folded into the party's coordinated campaign operation, which, we've learned, will be headed by Colin Van Ostern.

Party spokesman Pia Carusone said as coordinated campaign director, Van Ostern "will be directing our effort to maintain our majorities up and down the ticket. It's a very important position in the campaign."

During the past seven years, Van Ostern has been the chief spokesman for the party, for Jeanne Shaheen's first Senate campaign, for John Edwards' first presidential campaign here and for the Kerry-Edwards ticket in Iowa.

More recently, he had been associate director of public relations for the Tuck School at Dartmouth before opening his own consulting firm and pursuing his own MBA degree. He's putting those on hold and "coming home," he said.

User-friendly

With their state convention coming up on May 17 at the McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester, Democratic Party officials are working on revamping the party platform to make it shorter, simpler "and more usable for local candidates when they campaign," said Carusone.

"The aim is to make it short enough to go on a flier or a brochure," as opposed to the current 10 pages.

Working on the project are platform committee leaders Jay Surdokowski and Rep. Bette Lasky.

Duprey? Thanks, but no thanks

GOP candidate recruiter extraordinaire Fran Wendelboe says she recently e-mailed Duprey's wife, attorney Susan Duprey, with a request that she consider running for governor.

"She is an accomplished professional with experience in politics who would make an excellent candidate," Wendelboe says.

Duprey did not return our call, but her husband said that while flattered, she is "categorically, absolutely not interested."

Wendelboe says she also thinks the aforementioned Mahoney would make a fine candidate. But he said this week he was focused only on the primary and the RNC at the moment. But he did not rule it out.

Wendelboe, who heads the New Hampshire Reagan Network, is also focusing on a campaign "school" for potential House candidates at Southern New Hampshire University on May 3 and 4.

Horn on the attack

With another blistering press release this week, 2nd District Republican U.S. House candidate Jennifer Horn continues her strategy of attacking perceived congressional GOP front-runner state Sen. Bob Clegg.

The Telegraph of Nashua reported recently that Clegg topped all state lawmakers with $5,299 received from lobbyists last year.

Horn has tried to equate Clegg with the likes of Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham and Tom Delay, but Clegg says it's just Horn "trying to get herself recognized by the press. I'm not going to bother with it. It's the silliest thing I ever heard."

Clegg said he was in Washington this week meeting with D.C. reporters and economic and health care experts. He also said he had a meet-and-greet that drew "a number of people I've dealt with over the years as a senator."

Clegg also told the Status his second-quarter campaign finance report will show that he lent the campaign $100,000 of his own money.

"You have to put your money where your mouth is," he said. "People who campaign and won't put up their own money show me they don't believe in their own message."

Quick takes

-- Jamie Burnett is Sen. John Sununu's new deputy campaign manager. He was field director for Sununu's successful 2002 run and later worked in his Washington office as legislative director. Burnett was most recently Mitt Romney's state political director.

-- The New Hampshire Political Library's annual fundraiser on April 30 at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester will recognize Romney, former Sen. Bill Bradley, former Gov. Walter Peterson and CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley for their "support of and advocacy for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary."

-- Republican Steve Stepanek will formally announce his candidacy for the Executive Council District 5 seat tomorrow and Monday with a five-stop tour in Amherst, Merrimack, Goffstown, Nashua and Keene.

-- A month ago, state GOP chair Cullen would not confirm that Allison Welch was leaving as state GOP political director because her husband, David, was taking a job with the McCain campaign in Washington. This week, Welch e-mailed "friends and colleagues" that "personal circumstances are bringing me back to D.C."

-- Congressional candidate Horn's new field director is David Chesley, a former staffer for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign and Charlie Bass' 2006 congressional campaign.

-- 1st District Congressional candidate John Stephen is campaigning in Laconia today with chief backer Executive Councilor Ray Burton, while primary rival Jeb Bradley continues his "Java with Jeb" meet-and-greet series on April 12 at the historic Robie's Country Store in Hooksett.

John DiStaso is senior political reporter of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News.