New Hampshire Democrats step up criticism of new primary proposal
New Hampshire Democrats are pushing back against a plan to shake up the Democratic presidential nominating calendar, arguing the proposal is a “poison pill” for the state’s primary.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted earlier this month to make South Carolina the first state to cast ballots in the primary lineup, booting New Hampshire from its slot as the first-in-the-nation primary and removing Iowa as the first caucus state.
“The DNC’s proposal for the New Hampshire primary suggests New Hampshire Democrats do not have any option but to be in non-compliance and is essentially a poison pill for our primary,” the state’s Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley wrote in a letter to DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison, first obtained by Politico.
Buckley argues that the new plan places an “undue burden” on New Hampshire Democrats and is a “punishment” for voters throughout the state.
New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu and GOP state lawmakers won’t comply with Democrats’ requests to move the primary, so the party can’t conform to DNC demands, Buckley wrote.
The plan, backed by President Biden, is a purported effort to increase diversity in the nominating system and elevate voters of color by putting more diverse states earlier on the schedule.
“We are confident that the DNC’s proposal could have the DNC’s proposal could have satisfied two important objectives: elevating the importance of Black voters and retaining New Hampshire’s status as the first in the nation primary, which would safeguard a battleground state for Democrats and maintain an important process for our country. These did not have to be mutually exclusive,” Buckley wrote.
Earlier this month, New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D) and Maggie Hassan (D) skipped a congressional ball at the White House over upset with the primary proposal.
Hassan has said the plan is “deeply misguided,” and a spokesperson for Shaheen called the move “political fodder” for Republicans in the state.