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Joe Biden Has Just Made a Major Mistake

It looks like Joe Biden may not even be on the ballot in New Hampshire and that could allow Democrat White House hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson to be potential winners of the primary.

US President Joe Biden. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
US President Joe Biden. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Due to an odd situation, Joe Biden might not be on New Hampshire Democratic Primary Ballot: “I’m first. No, you’re second. You’re wrong. I’m first.”

Like a couple of quarreling kids, Democrats from New Hampshire and national Democrats are arguing about the first presidential primary in New Hampshire.

You see, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Joe Biden want South Carolina to hold the first primary in 2024, but New Hampshire has a law that says it is the rightful first primary.

Now it looks like Joe Biden may not even be on the ballot in New Hampshire and that could allow Democrat White House hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson to be potential winners of the primary.

That would be a big embarrassment for the president. With that, here is the current state of play: 

Making South Carolina the First Primary

The brouhaha started with the Biden campaign tried to reward South Carolina Democrats for giving the president his critical primary victory in 2020 that launched him successfully toward the nomination. He and the DNC want South Carolina to hold the first primary and then New Hampshire and Nevada to have their contests on the same day a week later.

New Hampshire Won’t Give In

However, the governor and legislators from the Granite State are acting, well, like impenetrable walls of stone. They say they will not change the law that requires New Hampshire to hold the first presidential primary.

There’s a June deadline for alleviating this mess, but Democrats in New Hampshire show no signs of changing the statute that requires New Hampshire to be first. Now members of the DNC are thinking of giving New Hampshire more time to decide to do the “right thing” and give in to the “wisdom” of national Democrats.

New Hampshire Democrats are indignant. They are going first, come heck or high water, and if the DNC wants to have Biden on the ballot, they need to back off and let New Hampshire do what is required by law.

Democrats from the Granite State are also perturbed they are getting pushback from people who are not in the know and who appear to be disrespectful of New Hampshire’s treasured status.

This has enraged people in flinty New Hampshire who firmly believe in liberty and home rule.

No Way, No How

“We can’t change our laws and that’s that. We’re hosting the first primary,” Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, told Politico. “The president can decide if he wants to put his name on the ballot.”

One Democrat who has defended the point of view of New Hampshire is Congressman Ro Khanna from California. Khanna headlined the key McIntyre-Shaheen dinner and fundraiser – an event that has invited bigger-name speakers in the past. But Khanna is seen as an ally in the fight against the DNC. He is worried that Kennedy or Williamson could win the primary if Biden doesn’t get on the ballot and campaign in the state. To make things more complicated, Khanna is already serving on Biden’s 2024 national advisory board, but he feels like New Hampshire should be the first state to hold the primary.

It’s Political Malpractice

Khanna articulated his views at the dinner with the following applause line. “Let me be very clear: It would be political malpractice to strip New Hampshire of delegates, disenfranchising Granite State Democrats for a decision out of their control. We all know these four electoral votes are going to matter for the presidency.”

According to DNC bylaws, if New Hampshire goes ahead with its plans to hold the first primary, it could be stripped of two of its delegates.

Even if Biden remains off the ballot and Kennedy or Williamson wins, it is not expected to ruin the president’s path to be nominated, but it would give the opposition a temporary boost of media coverage and donor interest to show that some Democrats are against Biden running again.

New Hampshire is not likely to back down, and if that means the president’s campaign suffers in the Granite State, then so be it.

MORE: Hunter Biden Could Finally Be Charged with a Crime

MORE: Hunter Biden: Could Be Go to Jail?

Author Expertise and Experience

Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.

Written By

Now serving as 1945s New Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer.

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