New Hampshire Democrats will be sending a full delegation to the Democratic National Convention this summer following a decision by the national party’s rules committee to approve a nominating event held by the state party. The event did not release formal results, but the state will be sending 25 pledged delegates and nine automatic delegates, also known as superdelegates, to the convention based on a plan approved on Tuesday. This decision resolves a conflict between the state and national parties regarding the timing of the New Hampshire primary.
Democrats changed their nominating calendar for 2024 to prioritize more diverse states in the early contests, with South Carolina replacing New Hampshire as the first presidential primary. However, New Hampshire’s laws require its primary to be held first, leading to the state not complying with the new schedule and participating in a state-run contest in January before any other primary. The results of this primary, which were not sanctioned by the DNC, did not count toward allocating convention delegates, and President Joe Biden did not campaign in the state, despite winning the primary as a write-in candidate.
During the state-run primary, Biden’s highest-profile Democratic challengers, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson, also participated, violating DNC rules by campaigning in the unsanctioned contest. As a result, they were deemed ineligible for the party-run process held over the weekend and could not win pledged delegates from New Hampshire. However, with Biden’s nomination now assured, Tuesday’s decision allows the national party to maintain its stance of not recognizing the noncompliant state-run primary while still allowing delegates from New Hampshire to attend the convention.
The resolution of the conflict between the state and national parties over the timing of the New Hampshire primary allows for a full delegation from the state to participate in the Democratic National Convention this summer. Despite the lack of formal results from the state-run event, New Hampshire will be represented by 25 pledged delegates and nine automatic delegates at the convention based on the approved plan. The decision comes after Democrats changed their nominating calendar for 2024 to give priority to more diverse states, which conflicted with New Hampshire’s requirement to hold its primary first.
The refusal of New Hampshire Democrats to comply with the new schedule and the participation in an unsanctioned state-run primary in January led to conflict with the national party and a lack of recognition for the election results in allocating convention delegates. President Joe Biden did not campaign in the state for the primary, despite winning as a write-in candidate. Biden’s two Democratic challengers, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, were deemed ineligible for pledged delegates from New Hampshire due to violations of DNC rules during the state-run primary. The resolution of the conflict allows the national party to maintain its position on the noncompliant primary while still permitting delegates from New Hampshire to attend the convention.
Overall, the decision allows New Hampshire Democrats to be fully represented at the Democratic National Convention this summer despite initial conflicts with the national party over the timing of the state’s primary. The resolution of the conflict resulted in the allocation of pledged and automatic delegates from the state to the convention based on the approved plan. The changes to the nominating calendar for 2024 prioritizing diversity among the early contests posed challenges for New Hampshire, leading to the state’s decision to hold its primary before any others. Despite initial controversies and violations of DNC rules, the resolution ensures that the state’s delegates will be present at the convention without compromising the national party’s stance on compliance with the nominating schedule.
