Two New Hampshire lawmakers are boycotting the White House congressional ball on Monday over a plan backed by President Biden that may move the Granite State’s Democratic presidential primary again a number of days.
Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan might be absent from the festive annual occasion at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave after expressing their anger over the first shakeup proposal that the 80-year-old president says will promote extra range within the nominating course of.
“As Senator Shaheen has said, the President’s proposal unnecessarily makes Democrats in New Hampshire, from the top to the bottom of the ticket, vulnerable in 2024,” a spokeswoman for Shaheen told the Hill.
“This did not have to be a mutually exclusive decision – he could have advanced a more diverse state to an earlier date, while maintaining New Hampshire as the first primary election. Instead, New Hampshire Republicans were gifted the political fodder they’ve been waiting for to target Democrats and dissuade Independents from backing Democrats in pivotal local, state and federal elections,” the spokeswoman added.
The Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee voted last week to make South Carolina the first state to solid ballots in Democratic presidential nominating contests in 2024, changing Iowa as the primary state.
Under the brand new association, the Palmetto State would maintain its major on Feb. 3, 2024. Nevada and New Hampshire will maintain their primaries three days later, adopted by Georgia on Feb. 13 and Michigan on Feb. 27.
Hassan, who can also be skipping the ball, has known as the Biden-backed plan “deeply misguided.”
“I strongly oppose the President’s deeply misguided proposal for changes to the primary calendar. Make no mistake, New Hampshire’s law is clear and our primary will continue to be First in the Nation,” Hassan wrote
“Because of our state’s small size, candidates from all walks of life — not just the ones with the largest war chests — are able to compete and engage in the unique retail politics that are a hallmark of our state. This ensures that candidates are battle-tested and ready to compete for our nation’s highest office,” Hassan continued.
“We will always hold the First in the Nation Primary, and this status is independent of the President’s proposal or any political organization,” she added.
The Post has reached out to the workplaces of Shaheen and Hassan for remark.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the plan on Monday regardless of the uproar it has precipitated in states corresponding to Iowa and New Hampshire.
“To him, respecting our diversity as a nation and breaking down barriers for our people is a fundamental principle,” she stated.
Jean-Pierre added that the president is “making sure we see the diversity within his administration that is represented, clearly, across the country and he wants to honor those values.”
In a letter to the DNC final week, Biden stated that the leads to small state primaries corresponding to New Hampshire have “marginalized” candidates earlier than they get an opportunity to enchantment to a extra numerous set of voters.
“Too often over the past fifty years, candidates have dropped out or had their candidacies marginalized by the press and pundits because of poor performances in small states early in the process before voters of color could cast a vote,” Biden wrote.
