Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will headline a key event for the New Hampshire Democratic Party next month, prompting speculation about his future aspirations in a state known for its status as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
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BIG NEWS! Pete Buttigieg is coming to the Granite State for the Eleanor Roosevelt dinner on Sept. 24th! #NHPolitics
Find out more information and get your tickets here:https://t.co/pskUKx7bQI
— NH Democratic Party (@NHDems) August 24, 2022
Buttigieg will headline the annual Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner, hosted by the Granite State’s Democratic Party, in Manchester on Sept. 24. The news comes after a recent poll found Buttigieg among the top contenders for Democratic primary voters’ first choice for president in 2024, ranking neck-and-neck with President Joe Biden.
“It is an honor to welcome my friend Pete back to the Granite State,” NHDP Chairman Ray Buckley said in a statement. “Pete is no stranger to the state and has been a great friend to Democrats from the North Country to the Seacoast and everywhere in between. Over the last two years, he has helped President Biden transform this country with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
The announcement said the dinner will feature the state’s entire federal delegation, as well as state lawmakers and candidates, including gubernatorial candidate Dr. Tom Sherman. New Hampshire’s primary elections are Sept. 13, so Sherman is not currently the party’s official nominee.
NHDP Finance Chairwoman Maura Sullivan said she looked forward to welcoming Buttigieg to the state, saying, “We’re so grateful to have his support in the fight to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.”
A Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center last month found that only 31% of Democrats in the state want Biden to run again, a drop from 54% in June and 74% in July 2021.
In a hypothetical 2024 Democratic primary field, the poll found the president statistically tied with Buttigieg among New Hampshire Democrats at 16% and 17%, respectively. Vice President Kamala Harris was the first choice of just 6% of respondents, a lower ranking than both Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary is a noteworthy contest because a victory in the Granite State can give campaigns early momentum for other presidential primary contests.
Sanders, popular in the state among Democrats and from neighboring Vermont, won the 2020 Democratic primary in the state, followed by Buttigieg, raising the profile of the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and helping him compete in additional primaries before ultimately suspending his campaign and endorsing Biden.
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Biden has indicated he intends to run for reelection for a second term.
