New Hampshire political leaders from both sides of the aisle are vowing to fight the Democratic National Committee’s move to alter its primary schedule and revoke the state’s first-in-the-nation primary status.
DNC members voted on Saturday in favor of changing the order of early nominating states, with the new schedule placing South Carolina first and Nevada and New Hampshire voting on a second primary day. New Hampshire has a state law mandating it hold the nation’s first presidential primary, which Iowa circumvented in 1972 by holding a caucus. President Joe Biden, who revived his 2020 campaign in South Carolina after dismal performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, urged the DNC to make the changes, which were already being discussed after the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus, when a glitchy app developed to help count the vote failed to function and sent the caucus into turmoil.
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New Hampshire’s congressional delegation, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Chris Pappas (D-NH), released a joint statement condemning the change. In it, they argued that the DNC lacked standing to take the state’s first-in-the-nation status away and promised that Saturday’s vote would not be the “last word” on the 2024 presidential nominating calendar.
“No party committee gave New Hampshire the first-in-the-nation primary. Granite Staters created this process to put the power in voters’ hands and give every candidate a fair shot, no matter their cash-on-hand or status within the party,” the four lawmakers wrote. “New Hampshire adds value to the nominating process, and while President Biden and the DNC continue to push a plan of political convenience, they will not be successful in the end.”
“We will continue to work together and with state leaders to protect the primary and make sure New Hampshire’s law is followed,” the statement continued. “No matter what party powerbrokers or those in Washington think, New Hampshire will once again host our first-in-the-nation contest as we have done for more than a century.”
Hassan tweeted: “Regardless of the DNC vote, New Hampshire will go first. The DNC’s primary proposal asks us to violate our state law & puts Democrats’ future success in our state at risk — it is deeply misguided.”
Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) was also defiant in response to the DNC vote, tweeting, “Joe Biden and the power brokers at the DNC in Washington think New Hampshire’s time is up, but it’s not in our DNA to take orders from Washington. New Hampshire will be going first in 2024.”
Political leaders from Iowa and New Hampshire have vocally opposed Biden and the DNC’s schedule changes since they were proposed last year. While Republicans have voted to keep their party’s schedule as is, Biden and close allies have argued that Iowa and New Hampshire lack the diversity necessary to play such a significant role in determining the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Iowa Republicans have been opposed to changing the schedule or abolishing caucuses for primaries. The Iowa Democratic Party proposed a slew of changes to its caucus system in a bid to keep its first-in-the-nation caucus status, though the DNC rejected that effort.
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In a statement after Biden endorsed the new nominating calendar in December, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn explained that the state party would not be able to adhere to the DNC’s demand for a primary.
“Iowa does not have the luxury of conducting a state-run primary, nor are Iowa Republicans likely to support legislation that would establish one,” Wilburn said. “Our state law requires us to hold a caucus before the last Tuesday in February, and before any other contest. When we submit our delegate selection plan to the Rules and Bylaws Committee early next year, we will adhere to the State of Iowa’s legal requirements, and address compliance with DNC rules in subsequent meetings and hearings.”
