This place was the inspiration for a West Wing episode called “Hartsfield Landing.”
The weird thing about that episode is that they describe how the town does their primary tradition at midnight, except it’s between Bartlet and Ritchie who have both already secured their party’s nomination. And in the episode, they make a big deal about how they have correctly predicted the winner of every presidential election. Even with an open primary, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.
If you watch the show (and I’ve watched it a lot) you can tell that Aaron Sorkin wasn’t writing to a detailed plan. I think a lot of his ongoing storylines grew organically (and were often turned in very late, which ultimately led to him being sacked from the show), which meant he sometimes repeated, or retconned, beats, or made other mistakes.
Hartsfield’s Landing was probably named after Hart’s Location, another New Hampshire town that has often votes at midnight. I recall reading a story that, because of the weather, of the three towns that usually do vote at midnight only Dixville did so this year.
edit: Hrrm. Turns out that’s what the linked CNN story actually says. Serves me right for not RTFA.
This place was the inspiration for a West Wing episode called “Hartsfield Landing.”
The weird thing about that episode is that they describe how the town does their primary tradition at midnight, except it’s between Bartlet and Ritchie who have both already secured their party’s nomination. And in the episode, they make a big deal about how they have correctly predicted the winner of every presidential election. Even with an open primary, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.
You’re not the only one who’s picked up on this:
https://www.primetimer.com/quickhits/the-west-wings-hartsfields-landing-has-never-made-any-damn-sense
If you watch the show (and I’ve watched it a lot) you can tell that Aaron Sorkin wasn’t writing to a detailed plan. I think a lot of his ongoing storylines grew organically (and were often turned in very late, which ultimately led to him being sacked from the show), which meant he sometimes repeated, or retconned, beats, or made other mistakes.
Hartsfield’s Landing was probably named after Hart’s Location, another New Hampshire town that has often votes at midnight. I recall reading a story that, because of the weather, of the three towns that usually do vote at midnight only Dixville did so this year.
edit: Hrrm. Turns out that’s what the linked CNN story actually says. Serves me right for not RTFA.