MANCHESTER -- Two presidential candidates, a national political reporter, and a former governor were all honored for their participation in the New Hampshire Primary in what has become the state's premier political party of the year.

The New Hampshire Political Library's annual fund-raiser at the Center of New Hampshire brought together the state's political elite from both parties to hear campaign war stories and celebrate the state's first-in-the-nation tradition.

Honored this year were former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, who ran for president in 2000, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran this year. Both men lost the New Hampshire contest, but both said they were better off for running and that New Hampshire should continue to be first.

CNN national political correspondent Candy Crowley was also honored for her coverage of the primary as was former New Hampshire Gov. Walter Peterson (R-Peterbroigh). It was only recently discovered that Peterson, as governor in 1969, played a key role in convincing the Nevada governor at the time not to sign legislation that would have made that state's primary leapfrog the Granite State.

For Bradley the New Hampshire Primary worked because of the intimate town meetings. For Romney it was simply that politics here was personal and not driven via the media.