Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas described his party’s decision to eliminate the state’s first-in-the-nation primary status as a “betrayal” orchestrated by President Joe Biden.
“The New Hampshire primary is part of who we are,” Pappas told local ABC affiliate WMUR on Sunday. “It helps define the kind of democracy, the direct democracy, that we have, that still flourishes today in New Hampshire. The engagement that we get from voters. What happened with the DNC [Democratic National Committee] was a total betrayal by Joe Biden.”
Biden finished fifth in the 2020 New Hampshire primary, receiving no pledged delegates. He ended his 2008 White House bid before the Granite State contest. (RELATED: Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Snubs White House Over Primary Schedule Changes)
“We were not necessarily anticipating the president to come forward with a plan to reorder the primary calendar. He’s someone who has campaigned here, who understands the value that New Hampshire adds to the presidential nominating calendar, and it’s a big disappointment that he decided to push the DNC to make these changes,” Pappas added.
NH Dem Rep. Chris Pappas calls the loss of the first-in-the-nation primary “a total betrayal by Joe Biden.”
That’s a bit more pointed on than other NH Dems, who have tried to refrain from knocking Biden directly.https://t.co/Z4v4ap5OlL
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) February 27, 2023
Following a lobbying campaign from Biden and his allies, the DNC finalized a new primary calendar that will give South Carolina the party’s first primary, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada. New Hampshire law requires the state to have the nation’s first primary, and a Republican legislature and GOP Gov. Chris Sununu have said they will not amend the statute. If New Hampshire holds its primary out of approved order, the Democratic Party could take away some or all of the state’s convention delegates.
The DNC pledged to “diversify” its nominating process in the aftermath of the 202o primaries. It also eliminated the Iowa caucus’s first-in-the-nation status, following a series of technical snafus and a fourth-place finish from the now-president. Georgia and Michigan, both of which Biden won in 2020, will hold their primaries before Super Tuesday under the new schedule.
Biden has not yet announced whether or not he will seek a second term in office. Should he do so, he will likely face minimal primary competition, with author Marianne Williamson the only declared Democratic candidate thus far. Biden is expected to announce his candidacy by April, according to The New York Times.