President Joe Biden was left off the ballot in a critical early state primary, creating new challenges for his campaign.
Biden will not appear on New Hampshire’s Democratic 2024 primary ballot, making him the first sitting White House occupant in history not to be included.
The president’s campaign has sought to modify the Democrat Party’s primary process to begin with South Carolina since Biden did well in the party’s 2020 primary. They argue that the state’s “diverse population” is more representative of the U.S. than New Hampshire or Iowa.
More from the Associated Press:
The move is the latest development in a long-simmering dispute within the Democratic Party over which states and regions should have the first say in determining the party’s presidential nominees every four years. Biden, who placed fifth in New Hampshire in 2020, urged Democratic Party officials last year to rejigger the primary calendar with South Carolina in the lead-off position. His 29-point win in the 2020 South Carolina primary ended his string of embarrassing early-state losses that year and put his campaign on positive footing to win the nomination. The DNC adopted the president’s proposal and scheduled the South Carolina primary to lead the party’s nomination process on Feb. 3, with New Hampshire and Nevada to follow on Feb. 6. However; New Hampshire indicated its intent to maintain its first-in-the-nation primary status in violation of party rules and risk possible penalties from the DNC down the road. Rather than flout the rules he urged the national party to adopt, Biden chose to stay off the ballot in New Hampshire.
Biden’s name will not appear on the ballot. However, several Democrat leaders have opted for a write-in effort on the president’s behalf.
In a letter, Biden's re-election campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, said that the president is “obligated to comply” with New Hampshire’s party rules, saying he will secure the nomination at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Despite the challenges and uncertainties of Biden’s campaign, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley confidently said the president will have no problem securing another four years in office.