New Hampshire Democrats warn replacing them as first-in-the-nation primary ‘could wreak havoc’
Cami Mondeaux
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New Hampshire Democrats are urging President Joe Biden not to replace them as the first-in-the-nation primary, arguing the newly proposed primary lineup could “wreak havoc” in the Granite State.
In a letter addressed to Biden on Tuesday, more than 20 New Hampshire Democrats urged the president not to strip the state of its coveted primary status, warning him it may negatively affect his reelection chances. The letter is a significant move from some of the president’s most loyal allies, as several of the signees have supported Biden for decades.
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“While we share your desire to elevate more diverse voices in the process, we believe that the proposed schedule could wreak havoc on Democrats up and down the ticket in New Hampshire and unnecessarily jeopardize four critical electoral votes in your re-election campaign,” the Democrats wrote, according to the letter obtained by Politico.
The letter comes after the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted for a new early voting lineup for the 2024 presidential primaries in December, proposing to remove New Hampshire from its No. 1 slot. The new calendar proposes that South Carolina be chosen to host the first presidential primary, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on the same day one week later, then Georgia, and finally Michigan.
The calendar has not yet been approved by the full DNC, but the lineup is expected to be final. However, the news has not been taken lightly by lawmakers in New Hampshire who have long prided themselves on holding the nation’s first primary election.
“It is safe to say that this is likely not how you would like to kick off your re-election and it would only fuel chatter that Democrats are divided and in disarray,” the Democrats wrote.
New Hampshire benefits from being a small state, meaning candidates can directly engage with voters at affordable costs. The state is also a key battleground in the general election, so an early start campaigning in New Hampshire could help Democratic chances by the time the November election rolls around.
However, opponents say New Hampshire also lacks voter diversity and isn’t representative of the U.S. population — arguing it should be replaced with similarly small states that are home to a wider range of racial and ethnic backgrounds.
New Hampshire lawmakers were quick to respond to the proposal to strip them of their No. 1 slot, with Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley signaling he would defy the change.
“The DNC did not give New Hampshire the first-in-the-nation primary, and it is not theirs to take away. This news is obviously disappointing, but we will be holding our primary first,” Buckley said in December. “We have survived past attempts over the decades, and we will survive this.”
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The proposal puts New Hampshire Democrats in a bind as state law mandates the first-in-the-nation primary be held there. However, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to levy severe penalties on any state Democratic Party that chooses to ignore the national party’s new order of voting and schedule its primary or caucus ahead of Super Tuesday.
The DNC noted that the transition might be “difficult” for New Hampshire but maintained the committee remains “committed to seeing out the calendar that this committee approved last month,” according to Politico.