Elizabeth Warren in recent months has cut into Joe Biden’s lead in New Hampshire, home to the nation’s first primary. The state’s Democratic convention this weekend provides a ripe opportunity to gain more ground.
The Massachusetts senator will join all the major Democratic candidates Friday and Saturday in speaking to party activists at the Manchester event, including Biden, the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator.
Warren currently has 14.7% in the RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polls, good for third place behind Biden, the leader at 21%, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, trailing narrowly with 19.3%.
That’s a big change from early May, shortly after Biden entered the race. The three-time presidential candidate at the time claimed 36%, to 18% for Sanders and Warren’s 8%.
Warren is a regular visitor to New Hampshire. Since early January, she has made 37 trips to the state, which is set to host its primary on Feb. 11, 2020, a week after Iowa’s caucuses kick off the nominating season. According to NBC Boston, which tracks candidate visits to the state, Sanders will be making his 35th campaign trip this weekend. Biden has made 17 visits to New Hampshire, but has three more scheduled, including this weekend’s convention.
Using her status as a fellow New Englander, Warren has built goodwill among state Democrats who in 2016 backed Sanders, who won the New Hampshire primary by 22 percentage points, or Hillary Clinton, the party’s eventual nominee. Even with Sanders running again, Warren could offer a more liberal platform with a smoother but firm delivery on the campaign trail.
New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley said in a call with reporters Monday the race is fluid.
“If you take a look at the race both in Iowa and New Hampshire, the vast majority of voters are not set on their choice,” Buckley said. “I don’t think anyone should be counted out yet.”
The convention comes as Biden’s campaign seeks to downplay the importance of winning in Iowa and New Hampshire. A senior Biden campaign official said the former vice president’s team is focusing efforts on Super Tuesday states and beyond, where voting will start in early March.
Buckley, the state Democratic chairman, said he wasn’t concerned about the Biden campaign downplaying his state’s primary.
“Our interest is really making sure that everyone feels that they were respected and had an equal opportunity to participate in the primary,” he said.
