'New Hampshire WILL go first': Defiant politicians slam plan to let S Carolina ... trends now
New Hampshire Democrats are vowing to fight their party's plan to rearrange the order of voting in the primaries, describing the decision as 'deeply misguided' and unworkable.
New Hampshire has held the first-in-the-nation primary since 1920, and Iowa has held its caucus on the same day since 1972.
But on Saturday, the Democratic National Committee voted to alter the schedule, making South Carolina first and putting New Hampshire and Nevada three days later. Iowa's new date has not been announced.
The decision was made, DNC officials said, to better reflect the demographic of the nation, and end a process whereby two overwhelmingly white states held such sway. South Carolina, with a large African American population, and strongly Hispanic Nevada were more representative of modern America, the DNC argued.
But New Hampshire Democrats have reacted with fury to their demotion - and argued it violates state law.
Maggie Hassan, a Democrat senator for New Hampshire, is among those voicing anger at the plan, approved on Saturday, to end the state's 'first in the nation' primary voting position
'Our First in the Nation Primary makes our entire country & democracy stronger,' tweeted Maggie Hassan, senator for the state.
She pointed out that New Hampshire's state law guarantees its position as first in the nation, so said that New Hampshire would simply ignore the DNC schedule. The DNC could then impose penalties.
In the past, states attempting to jump ahead have risked losing delegates to the national party convention, discouraging presidential candidates from spending time campaigning in them.
Hassan continued: 'Regardless of the DNC vote, New Hampshire will go first.
'The DNC's primary proposal asks us to violate our state law & puts Democrats' future success in our state at risk—it is deeply misguided.'
Ray Buckley, the chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, issued a statement vowing to contest Saturday's decision.
'Despite today's vote, the fight is not over,' he said.
'As we have repeatedly pointed out, New Hampshire law requires us to hold the first-in-the-nation primary, and state Republican leaders have made clear that will not change.'
Buckley said that his state - which has two Democrat senators at present, but a Republican governor and Republicans having a slim majority in the state legislature - could swing Republican, amid anger at the demotion.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage with DNC chair Jaime Harrison at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting on Friday
On Saturday, members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on a new primary calendar that moves South Carolina's contest ahead of New Hampshire, a move that has New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley (right) worried
'We remain extremely concerned about the effects this calendar will have on our purple, crucial battleground state,' he said.
'We were proud to deliver our four Electoral College votes to President Biden in 2020.
'Next year, those four votes can be the difference between sending President Biden back to the White House or ceding it to Republicans.'
The group of Democratic politicians who comprise the New Hampshire delegation at
