Republican lawmakers and the governor of New Hampshire are blasting demands made by the Democratic National Committee to change state laws or face getting kicked out of the early presidential primary voting window.The demands were made as part of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee’s decision to push New Hampshire out of the first-in-the-nation primary spot, replacing it with South Carolina.The ultimatum called for New Hampshire to repeal the state law that protects its first-in-the-nation primary and change its election laws to allow for early voting. The DNC said the Republican-controlled Legislature must make the changes by Feb. 1, 2023, or New Hampshire will be kicked out of the window of early voting state on the Democratic calendar.”So, now, the national Democrat Party is trying to change our state law,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “If it weren’t so serious, it would be an absolute joke.”Sununu said the state will abide by its law to hold the first-in-the-nation primary. He said he thinks the move by the DNC is part of a scheme for President Joe Biden to insulate a potential re-election bid from any challengers.”They’re just letting one or two individuals, the powers that be, dictate that process,” Sununu said. “It’s absolutely wrong. It’s everything that folks don’t want to see happen in this country right now. Folks want it to be open. They want things to be fair. They want things to be done in that right person-to-person way, not just with the big money and the backroom politics.”As far as the DNC’s legislative ultimatum goes, the window for filing a bill in the New Hampshire Legislature has closed. Even if individual Democratic state representatives wanted to try to work on the DNC’s behalf, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley said he will not bow to demands from a national political party. “Not happening. Not happening at all,” he said.Republican leaders said they believe their Democratic counterparts should have put up more of a fight. They said that more than any other consideration, it’s the state’s culture of civic engagement, being open to all, that makes New Hampshire worthy of the first-in-the-nation primary status.”You don’t need the money. You don’t need the name ID,” Sununu said. “You just have to earn it person to person, town to town. And you can do that so much more effectively here than anywhere else in the country.”
Republican lawmakers and the governor of New Hampshire are blasting demands made by the Democratic National Committee to change state laws or face getting kicked out of the early presidential primary voting window.
The demands were made as part of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee’s decision to push New Hampshire out of the first-in-the-nation primary spot, replacing it with South Carolina.
The ultimatum called for New Hampshire to repeal the state law that protects its first-in-the-nation primary and change its election laws to allow for early voting. The DNC said the Republican-controlled Legislature must make the changes by Feb. 1, 2023, or New Hampshire will be kicked out of the window of early voting state on the Democratic calendar.
“So, now, the national Democrat Party is trying to change our state law,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “If it weren’t so serious, it would be an absolute joke.”
Sununu said the state will abide by its law to hold the first-in-the-nation primary. He said he thinks the move by the DNC is part of a scheme for President Joe Biden to insulate a potential re-election bid from any challengers.
“They’re just letting one or two individuals, the powers that be, dictate that process,” Sununu said. “It’s absolutely wrong. It’s everything that folks don’t want to see happen in this country right now. Folks want it to be open. They want things to be fair. They want things to be done in that right person-to-person way, not just with the big money and the backroom politics.”
As far as the DNC’s legislative ultimatum goes, the window for filing a bill in the New Hampshire Legislature has closed. Even if individual Democratic state representatives wanted to try to work on the DNC’s behalf, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley said he will not bow to demands from a national political party.
“Not happening. Not happening at all,” he said.
Republican leaders said they believe their Democratic counterparts should have put up more of a fight. They said that more than any other consideration, it’s the state’s culture of civic engagement, being open to all, that makes New Hampshire worthy of the first-in-the-nation primary status.
“You don’t need the money. You don’t need the name ID,” Sununu said. “You just have to earn it person to person, town to town. And you can do that so much more effectively here than anywhere else in the country.”