Biden won’t appear on New Hampshire primary ballot
Biden's campaign said he is “obligated” to stay off the ballot as New Hampshire moves forward with an unsanctioned primary.
President Joe Biden’s name will not appear on the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary ballot, as the state moves forward with an unsanctioned nominating contest in 2024.
In a letter to New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley on Tuesday, Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote that “while the president wishes to participate in the Primary,” he is “obligated” to comply with the Democratic National Committee’s presidential nominating calendar. He will “refrain from submitting a Declaration of Candidacy” ahead of Friday’s filing deadline, she wrote, though he will appear on the general election ballot in November 2024.
Withholding Biden’s name from the New Hampshire ballot caps a yearlong effort by the DNC to reorder the 2024 early state lineup, in which Iowa and New Hampshire lost their influential perches atop the calendar. New Hampshire, however, is moving forward with its first-in-the-nation primary, potentially triggering more sanctions against the state from party leaders.
Top Democrats in New Hampshire are expected to lead a write-in effort on behalf of Biden.
Buckley, in a statement posted to X, said Biden “will win the NH FITN Primary in January, win renomination in Chicago and will be re-elected next November.”
Even as Biden’s name won’t appear on the ballot, another Democrat may. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) is expected to launch his presidential campaign on Friday morning in Concord, N.H. If he gains any traction, that could, at a minimum, result in an embarrassment for Biden there.
Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.
