US President Joe Biden has won New Hampshire’s largely symbolic Democratic primary, prevailing in an unusual write-in effort after he refused to campaign or appear on the state ballot.
Mr Biden easily defeated his main challengers, Minnesota representative Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson, two outside contenders who were on the ballot along with a host of little-known names.
His victory in a race he was not formally contesting essentially cements the president’s grasp on the Democratic nomination for a second term.
The majority of Republicans in Congress voted against our infrastructure law. But that doesn’t stop them from saying: “We need a project in my district."
That's okay. I'm a president for all Americans.
And like I said before – I’ll see them at the groundbreaking. pic.twitter.com/6qeq51cpdK— President Biden (@POTUS) January 23, 2024
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The New Hampshire race will likely not count towards amassing delegates for the presidential nomination after Democrats in the state bucked a revamp of the primary calendar – championed by Mr Biden – that placed South Carolina at the forefront of the Democratic race for the White House.
Mr Biden wanted to change Democratic Party rules to put South Carolina first on February 3, arguing that black Democrats, the party’s most reliable base of support, and other voters of colour needed to play a larger, earlier role in the primary.
He won South Carolina’s primary in 2020, helping revive his campaign after a loss in New Hampshire, whose electorate tends to be more white and older than the rest of the nation.
New Hampshire Democrats rebelled against the plan and pushed ahead with a primary on Tuesday, alongside the state’s Republicans.
As we mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, @KamalaHarris, @DrBiden, @DouglasEmhoff, and I are highlighting the stakes of this election and the critical fight ahead against MAGA Republicans’ attacks on reproductive freedom.
Tune in. https://t.co/BXh35QGYuOAdvertisement— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 23, 2024
The Democratic National Committee has said that the contest will not award delegates that ultimately select the nominee as a result of the rules violation.
Mr Biden shunned the primary as a result, but his allies organised hundreds of volunteers – and received help from a super political action committee (PAC) – to spread the word that New Hampshire Democrats could still write in his name.
“I want to thank all those who wrote my name in this evening in New Hampshire,” Mr Biden said in a statement. “It was a historic demonstration of commitment to our democratic process.”
He went on to appeal to independent and anti-Trump Republicans “who share our commitment to core values of our nation – our democracy, our personal freedoms, an economy that gives everyone a fair shot – to join us as Americans” and back his campaign.
The contest was overshadowed by the Republican primary, where former president Donald Trump followed up his win last week in Iowa with another victory to prove that he has seized control of his party’s nomination over his last remaining challenger, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
New Hampshire allows unaffiliated voters to participate in either party’s primary.
