Despite not being on the ballot, President Joe Biden is expected to win the Democratic primary in New Hampshire.
He was spared the humiliation of falling short against Democratic congressman Dean Phillips thanks to a write-in campaign.
Because the party decided that South Carolina should cast its ballot first, Mr. Biden had abstained from the primary.
However, New Hampshire declined to change its vote, which resulted in a deadlock with the party’s elites in Washington.
It’s unclear how much of a lead Mr. Biden is expected to have in the Granite State, but polls conducted over the weekend indicated that he had a strong lead despite the unusual circumstances.
In New Hampshire, a few of Mr. Biden’s Democratic allies had been pushing voters to write his name on the ballot.
The majority of the drama stemmed from the Republican primary duel between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley.
However, some Democratic internal strife regarding the election calendar’s scheduling also made news.
Although South Carolina will take the lead in the 2024 primary, the Democratic National Committee had previously decided that the Granite State would host the nation’s first primary.
They claimed that the population of the southern state was more representative of the nation.
However, because it is required by the state constitution to hold its primary first, New Hampshire chose not to move, which resulted in the loss of the delegates required for candidates to win the Democratic nomination.
Additionally, Mr. Biden opted to abide by the party’s ruling and did not register as a result.
That put Mr. Phillips, a congressman from Minnesota, up against the US president.
According to Mr. Phillips, Mr. Biden, who is eighty-one, is a “weak candidate” and may well lose to Mr. Trump in November.
Mr. Phillips, 55, told the BBC, “I’m just afraid that Democrats are sleepwalking into disaster.” “We carried it out in 2016.” To intentionally do the same thing this year is repugnant and unforgiveable.”
Mr. Phillips, a moderate, assumed office in 2019. He is among the wealthiest members of Congress, having inherited his stepfather’s massive empire, the Phillips Distilling Company, which is home to well-known liquor and schnapps brands.
He took advantage of that prosperity in New Hampshire. Advertisements in the state cost Mr. Phillips over $5 million, according to ad-tracking company AdImpact. In contrast, Mr. Biden only spent $156,000.
There were other Democratic challengers besides Mr. Phillips.
Another long shot in the New Hampshire primary was author and motivational speaker Marianne Williamson, 71.
A campaign was also launched by activists to have Democrats write “ceasefire” rather than the president’s name on their ballots due to Joe Biden’s ties to Israel. However, it’s unclear how many voters—if any—actually took this action.