LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – Although President Biden ended up winning Tuesday’s highly unusual Democratic Primary with a write-in campaign, political experts say it could be a preview for future contests if the Granite State fights to keep its coveted first-in-the-nation status.
“I want to thank all those who wrote my name in this evening in New Hampshire. It was a historic demonstration of commitment to our democratic process,” President Biden said in a statement.
The write-in campaign was launched across the state after a skirmish between the Democratic National Committee and New Hampshire officials last year over the primary calendar. Instead of New Hampshire, the first primary with delegates that count will be in South Carolina on February 3.
It was only with help from party loyalists like Lebanon City Councilwoman Karen Liot Hill, that the Biden write-in campaign prevailed. “We know how to turn out the vote and that is exactly what we did,” Hill said. “No one in New Hampshire is going to decide whether or not to vote based on what some people in Washington D.C. or some committee that is not here in New Hampshire says about our primary.”
Because of changes, no delegates from New Hampshire will be invited to attend the Democratic Party’s convention this summer where their presidential nominee will be officially announced.
Linda Fowler, a politics professor at Dartmouth College, says the controversy is a sign of things to come. “I think in 2028, the pressures on the Democratic Party, as it becomes a more diverse coalition, are going to be increasing,” she said. However, Fowler says the impressive turnout for Biden will likely force the national party to give New Hampshire a second look. “I think that they will probably work out something that was less adversarial than it was this year.”
Hill says she’s not worried about delegates at the convention. “We will see what happens. Whether our delegates are seated or not, I think that is still very much in play,” she said. And Hill says New Hampshire’s primary will continue to go first. “Democratic candidates for the presidential primary in 2028 are going to be very interested in spending time and campaigning here in New Hampshire.”
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