New Hampshire lost its standing as the First in the Nation presidential primary state among Democrats for the second election cycle in a row.
The Democratic National Committee’s panel overseeing the party’s rules and bylaws voted on Friday to give preference in its primary calendar to South Carolina, emphasizing its desire to recognize a more diverse voter population. New Hampshire is 91% white, according to U.S. Census data.
Among the 49 votes cast by the panel, New Hampshire received just four. The majority, 26, went to South Carolina. Nevada received 19.
By law, New Hampshire must hold its presidential primary election at least a week before any other state’s. Local leaders, on both sides of the aisle, criticized the DNC’s decision and reiterated that the state law would prevail.
Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, attempted to regain top billing for the Granite State. In a speech made to the committee ahead of the vote, Buckley said New Hampshire’s independent-minded political culture forces candidates to be vetted by voters, face-to-face. He touted New Hampshire’s secure elections and timely results.
“If Democrats are serious about winning elections, we have to be serious about building a process that prepares our candidates to compete for everyone, for every vote, anywhere and everywhere,” Buckley said. “Our candidates need a process where voters are willing to engage, willing to listen and willing to challenge them to be better candidates, and that place is the Granite State.”
Other members of the committee expressed concerns over New Hampshire’s lack of racial diversity. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said no state should have an exclusive grip on First in the Nation status. Instead, she argued, it should be shared among multiple states to get a fuller picture of where voters are at.
“No one state should go first, have a lock on that. New Hampshire is part of the story of the first state, but we’re sending a message to America today that we are not business as usual,” said Dingell, who cast her vote for South Carolina. “Every voice matters, and that voice is from the African-American community, the Hispanic community, the Jewish, the Arab-American community and, quite frankly, white men, white women, but everybody matters.”
New Hampshire was first booted from the top slot on the Democratic Party’s primary calendar in 2024 at the request of then-President Joe Biden. While New Hampshire still held its primary first, Biden did not campaign here, which will likely be repeated by top Democrats during the next election cycle.
State leaders embarked on an aggressive campaign to regain favor with the party.
The congressional delegation — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, all Democrats — said the decision was “wrong for the country.”
“New Hampshire’s First in the Nation primary is a tested proving ground in a closely contested swing state that forges better candidates and better presidents — and despite what DNC insiders say, that hasn’t changed,” they said in a statement. “As a state with highly engaged voters, we put candidates through their paces and thoroughly vet them. And our small size means that actually meeting and talking to voters takes precedence over super PACs or mega-donor-fueled campaigns.”
Even Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte waded into the debate, posting on X this week that the DNC’s consideration of any state but New Hampshire for the First-in-the-Nation primary was “total BS.”
“The Democratic National Committee is completely wrong to disregard New Hampshire’s First-in-the-Nation primary,” Ayotte said in a statement. “I fully support Secretary Scanlan upholding state law that puts our primary first. We will not back down from defending New Hampshire’s place in history, and I look forward to hosting the first primaries for both parties in 2028.”
