Joe Biden will break a tradition of 100 years by refusing to participate in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. The campaign team for the re-election of the current tenant of the White House indicated that they must respect the party's rules, which prevent them from including their name on the ballots for scenarios not approved in the official calendar. New Hampshire was traditionally the state where the primaries started, but the Democratic National Committee decided to start in South Carolina, at the suggestion of the president.
Here’s the letter from the Biden Campaign to @ChairmanBuckley: “While the president wishes to participate in the primary, he is obligated… to comply with the Delegate Selection Rules…” #FITN #NHPolitics #WMUR pic.twitter.com/27pwVcJv1T
— Adam Sexton (@AdamSextonWMUR) October 24, 2023
Biden, first president who does not start re-election in New Hampshire
In a letter addressed to the Party's state president, Raymond Bucley, Biden's re-election campaign manager, Julie Chávez Rodríguez , expressed regret at having to avoid the primaries there.
While the president wishes to participate in the Primary, he is obligated as a Democratic candidate for President to comply with the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2024 Democratic National Convention promulgated by the Democratic National Committee. In accordance with this guidance, Biden for President will refrain from submitting a Declaration of Candidacy for the Primary ahead of Friday’s candidate filing deadline for the Primary.
State law forces New Hampshire to be the first to hold primaries
The problem is that New Hampshire has a state rule more than half a century old that mandates that this state host the first presidential primary, a week before any similar election contest. Although Democrats asked to repeal the rule, Republicans, who control the Governor's Office and both chambers, refused to do so.
According to party rules, disobedience by New Hampshire Democrats could cost them half of their delegates for the final election of the formation's official candidate for the 2024 elections. Although party officials once again expressed their support for the president, they do not rule out that his absence could take an electoral toll on him.
