Joe Biden doesn’t deserve write-in support

James Kelly

He/Him

Opinions Editor

11/15/23

If Joe Biden won’t support the New Hampshire Democratic primary, New Hampshire Democrats shouldn’t support him. Last month, in light of Biden’s decision to skip the NH primary and keep his name off the ballot, top state Democrats announced a write-in campaign. This is a mistake. Biden made a political error, and he should suffer the consequences. 

The write-in campaign has widespread support from state Democrats, including former state party chair Kathy Sullivan, both Democratic gubernatorial candidates (Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Councillor Cinde Warmington), former U.S. Representatives Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, and all 10 Democratic state senators. 

State Democrats have pushed back against the DNC’s decision to make South Carolina the first-in-the-nation primary since the party made the move in February, per Biden’s request. New Hampshire will hold its primary first anyway, but it will not be recognized by the DNC, hence Biden’s absence. By backing a Biden write-in campaign, state Democrats are trying to have their cake and eat it too. Supporting the first-in-the-nation primary means supporting the candidates that are actually participating in it. To support NH’s first-in-the-nation status and a Biden write-in campaign simultaneously is hypocritical.

Biden made a mistake when he refused to respect NH’s first-in-the-nation status. In 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson dropped out of the Democratic primary – a shocking move for an incumbent president – after an embarrassing showing and near-loss to Minnesota Democrat Eugene McCarthy in NH. Now Biden risks giving Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips an opportunity in a nearly-uncontested NH primary. With RFK Jr.’s departure from the Democratic primary, Phillips’ only legitimate opponent on the ballot is a struggling and indebted Marianne Williamson. A Biden loss would be a natural consequence for turning his back on NH. Democrats shouldn’t bail him out.