Sununu: DNC primary calendar changes are 'insulting' to New Hampshire Democrats
New Hampshire Democrats are attracting an unlikely defender in their effort to remain the first in the nation to vote: Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
Sununu told Fox News on Tuesday that his opposing party’s move to demote the Granite State in the presidential primary lineup is “insulting” and could cripple Democrats.
“Joe Biden has completely screwed this up for himself and for the Democrats,” Sununu said. “We’re going first, no matter what.”
“It’s just insulting. The president has insulted the Democrats of this state,” he added.
President Biden and the Democratic National Committee pushed to move South Carolina ahead of New Hampshire for the 2024 cycle, a decision that has angered both parties in the small state that holds four electoral votes.
Sununu went on to accuse Biden of giving “political payback to his buddies in South Carolina” by endorsing the DNC’s proposal to bump the Palmetto State earlier in the calendar.
The popular GOP governor, who announced in July he is not running for reelection, wouldn’t say if he believed Biden would appear on the ballot as an official candidate. “Heck if I know, heck if I care,” he said, shrugging off concerns among some voters that the incumbent president may not even be a contender in the historically influential state.
“He’s completely turned his back on the state. Everybody realizes it,” he said.
Democrats in New Hampshire have been at the front of discussions around the primary date and order, constantly angling to keep their traditional voting status.
The committee in charge of the DNC’s rules voted to give members an extension — one of several granted in recent months — to put forward a final fate and delegate plan. Members now have until Oct. 14 to present their newest proposal.
The back-and-forth has given Republicans some optimism that Democrats appearing to turn away from the state could give them an advantage in the battleground in the fall.
“I think a lot of folks realize we’re an independent-minded state, tend to be a little more Republican, and that’s why there could be a very strong possibility this state goes Republican in November,” Sununu said.