Politico: New Hampshire starts with lead for first place on Dems' 2024 voting calendar

In case you missed it, Politico reported on the status of the DNC primary calendar conversation, and how New Hampshire is slated to retain its status as first-in-the-nation, as it has for over a century.

Key Excerpts:

• New Hampshire is the leading contender to replace Iowa at the beginning of the Democratic presidential calendar, according to interviews with more than a dozen Democratic power brokers who are involved in the party’s bid to reorder its nominating process.

• “I think there will be a lot of support to keep a New England primary and probably in New Hampshire,” said Tim Jerman, a DNC member from Vermont. “Who wants to start from scratch now to rebuild the wheel they have perfected?”

• Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford said that “New Hampshire has an ally in Massachusetts,” while the Rhode Island Democratic Party also confirmed it would not be applying for an early spot.

• But tradition can also work in New Hampshire’s favor. Their early primary is enshrined in state law, which requires it to go one week before any other presidential primary contests. “The secretary of state has the flexibility to decide when the filing period is and when the primary is,” said former Democratic Gov. John Lynch.

• It’s not yet clear, though, how New Hampshire Republicans might respond, should New Hampshire Democrats jump in front of Iowa. The New Hampshire Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment.

• New Hampshire’s defenders also point to the state’s small size as a factor in its favor, allowing for in-person politicking in living rooms and high school auditoriums. The cost-effectiveness of campaigning in a small state leaves room for little-known or especially talented candidates — or both — to break out.

• “What’s special about New Hampshire is that candidates have to listen to voters on a one-on-one basis, and it helps them become a better candidate,” said Bill Shaheen, a DNC member from New Hampshire. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and that’s what it is with New Hampshire.”

Read the full article here.