New Hampshire Maintains First-in-Nation Primary Status for 2024, Contravening Democratic Party’s Revised Schedule

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In defiance of the Democratic Party’s revised primary schedule, New Hampshire’s Secretary of State, David Scanlan, announced on Wednesday that the state will hold its presidential primaries on January 23, 2024. This decision sustains New Hampshire’s longstanding tradition of hosting the nation’s first primaries, a practice that dates back over a century.

Under state law, New Hampshire is required to conduct its Republican and Democratic primaries a minimum of seven days before any similar elections, with the Secretary of State holding exclusive authority over the scheduling. Continuing the practice established by his predecessors, Secretary Scanlan, a Republican, chose the date after considering the scheduling decisions of other states.

The Republican presidential nomination process will commence with the Iowa caucus on January 15, 2024. Following closely, New Hampshire’s primary is poised to be a pivotal moment, especially for GOP contenders vying to demonstrate their viability against former President Donald Trump, who is currently leading in the race for the nomination. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, in particular, has strategically emphasized New Hampshire in his campaign.

While Iowa’s Democrats will also caucus on January 15, they will not immediately announce presidential results, adhering to new party guidelines. These guidelines were influenced by President Joe Biden’s stance that Black and minority voters should have a more significant and earlier influence in the process. Notably, both Iowa and New Hampshire have populations that are over 90% white.

However, Secretary Scanlan criticized the use of racial diversity as a basis for altering the presidential nominating calendar, labeling it a dangerous precedent. During a press conference to announce the primary date, he questioned the implications of such criteria, asking at what point other demographic factors might be used to disqualify a state from holding an early primary.

The Democratic National Committee has ratified a new schedule, positioning South Carolina, with its substantial Black population, for a primary on February 3, 2024. This will be followed by Nevada three days later. Additionally, Michigan has been advanced to vote prior to Super Tuesday, which is set for March 5, 2024.

President Biden has chosen not to appear on the New Hampshire ballot and does not plan to campaign there, although a group of prominent state Democrats is organizing a write-in campaign to support his re-election.

Following the withdrawal of former Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina from the race, the Republican field is starting to consolidate. Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are among those competing to become the primary challenger to Trump.

Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire described the state as being driven by grassroots efforts, highlighting its unique political culture where personal engagement and not just name recognition or financial resources are key to electoral success.

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