NH Dems ask national party not to ‘punish’ them on primary

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Hampshire Democrats are asking the national party not to “punish” them while overhauling its 2024 presidential primary calendar. In a Thursday letter to the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley argued that the proposed shakeup may amount to a “poison pill” against his state’s traditional role as among the first to vote. Buckley notes New Hampshire law mandates the state hold the nation’s first presidential primary. The DNC rulemaking committee voted last month to propose moving South Carolina’s primary to Feb. 3 and having Nevada and New Hampshire vote three days later. South Carolina’s primary would replace Iowa’s caucus as the leadoff.