Tipsheet

Why Biden Isn't Filing for New Hampshire Democratic Primary

President Biden will not appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot, his reelection campaign told the state’s Democrats on Tuesday. 

“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. On October 24, 2023, the Democratic National Committee’s Rules & Bylaws Committee issued guidance urging Democratic campaigns to refrain from placing candidates’ names on the ballot,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a letter to state Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley.

The decision comes as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) reshuffled its primary calendar, placing South Carolina first in its primary lineup. Under the DNC’s calendar, Nevada and New Hampshire would hold their primaries second, followed by Georgia and then Michigan – a calendar that also removes Iowa from the early lineup of states to cast ballots. (The Hill

“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,” she added.

"The president looks forward to having his name on New Hampshire's general election ballot as the nominee of the Democratic Party after officially securing the nomination at the 2024 Democratic National Convention where he will tirelessly campaign to earn every single vote in the Granite State next November," Rodriguez said. 

In response, Buckley said the "reality" is that Biden will win the state's primary and be renominated by the party in Chicago.