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New Hampshire’s two Democratic senators slammed President Biden’s proposal to put South Carolina ahead of the Granite State on the party’s presidential primary calendar, insisting the radical shake up was “misguided” and a “short-sighted decision.”
The drastic proposed reset would see South Carolina kick off the 2024 Democratic nominating contests on Feb. 6 of that year, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada a week later — ending the Granite State’s 104-year status as the state that leads off the process.
News of the potential shakeup sparked fury in New Hampshire as the rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee was set to meet in Washington Friday to vote on the shakeup.
“It’s tremendously disappointing that the president failed to understand the unique role that New Hampshire plays in our candidate selection process as the first primary state,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said in a statement.
“It’s a shame the White House’s short-sighted decision risks splintering attention from candidates, denying voters crucial opportunities to connect with candidates and hear their visions and policy priorities.”
Still, Shaheen vowed the DNC vote would have no bearing on New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation status.
“As frustrating as this decision is, it holds no bearing over when we choose our primary date: New Hampshire’s State law stipulates that we will hold the ‘First-in-the-Nation’ primary.
