Despite a ballot write-in effort from a grassroots group of backers, President Biden will not be on the ballot for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary. On "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on FOX News Radio Wednesday, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu argued Biden's "gaffe" in skipping the state's ballot presents a "huge opportunity" for Democrat primary challenger Dean Phillips.
THREE WAYS BIDEN CHALLENGER DEAN PHILLIPS IS SENDING DEMOCRATS VALUABLE ADVICE
GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU: We're the first primary. There's no doubt about it. Joe Biden tried to move the primary out of New Hampshire to South Carolina. It didn't work. The Iowa Democrats thought about trying to take it and put a primary in Iowa. That didn't work. We're first. We're going first. That's all there is. Joe Biden won't be on the ballot. But here's the newsflash to Joe Biden - Nobody cares. Nobody really cares that Joe Biden is not on the ballot. There's not some giant clambering wing of the Democrat Party saying I wish I could vote for Biden in the New Hampshire primary. They're moving on. They've given up on him. They're moving on. I think Dean Phillips has a huge opportunity here to just crack the Democrat Party wide open. Now, that's going to happen, whether it happens with Dean Phillips in New Hampshire, whether it happens at the convention or somewhere in between.
I've always been a believer that Biden likely isn't on that ballot come November of 24. So one way or another it's going to happen. But this is the first serious crack in the egg. Biden, whether he realizes what a gaffe he's made or not, I mean, there's a lot more important things he should be realizing, which he clearly doesn't. So I don't know how in-tune he is to the situation. But there's a huge problem in the Democrat Party and that fracturing is starting right here in New Hampshire. And to Dean Phillips' credit he's got to work it the right way. He's already got support from some of our legislators. He's got support from individuals who used to support Biden. He's going to go town to town and diner to diner. He's got about three months here to really make a name for himself. And that's more than enough time considering Biden isn't even on the ballot.
President Biden's backers in New Hampshire on Monday launched a ballot write-in effort on his behalf, hoping to prevent Biden from suffering an electoral embarrassment in the Granite State's primary.
The newly launched grassroots organizing push by some of the biggest names in New Hampshire Democratic circles comes one week after Biden declined to place his name on the state's primary ballot.
With New Hampshire certain to hold a primary that’s out of compliance with the Democratic National Committee's revamped 2024 nominating calendar – a schedule first suggested by the president late last year that removes the state from its century-old leadoff position – Biden's avoiding the unsanctioned contest.
And an email from the group's leaders highlighted that "more than 100 grassroots leaders and volunteers from across New Hampshire are launching ‘Write-In Biden,’ a statewide effort to encourage New Hampshire voters to commit to writing in Joe Biden during the 2024 NH Presidential Primary this winter."
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The leaders of the effort are emphasizing that neither the president's 2024 re-election campaign nor the New Hampshire Democratic Party are involved in the campaign.
The launch of the effort comes three days after three-term Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, filed at the State House in Concord, New Hampshire, to place his name on the state's ballot as he launched a primary challenge against the president.
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FOX News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
