New Hampshire has found itself host to an unusual primary.
It all has to do with President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee wanting South Carolina to host the nation's first presidential primary. New Hampshire ignored that decision and ended up scheduling its primary first. As a result, no delegates are at stake on the Democratic side. And Biden opted not to be listed on the ballot or campaign here — but that isn't stopping people for rallying behind him.
"The way we look at it, the DNC in trying to change up the calendar handed us a bushel of lemons, so activists and grassroots organizers decided to make some lemonade on behalf of Joe Biden here," U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a Democrat who represents New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, told Boston Public Radio on Monday.
He said Democrats need to be ready for the election season, and Biden winning the New Hampshire Democratic primary as a write-in candidate would send a strong message.
"We are angry about what the DNC tried and failed to do here," he said, "but we're also upset about a number of other things: the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the extremism we see amongst Republicans, efforts to undermine our democracy."
The grassroots campaign has found support from across state lines, too.
"President Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told Boston Public Radio on Monday. "But it's an effort that local organizers are putting in to make sure that, again, the state sends a message to the rest of the country that this is important and people need to take our democracy seriously."
The mayor has been up in New Hampshire volunteering her time for the grassroots campaign, informing voters about how the write-in process works and why they should support Biden.
"There's a lot at stake this year," she said.
