Biden sees off challenger despite not being on ballot

JOE BIDEN comfortably won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary with an unusual write-in strategy after he refused to campaign or appear on the state ballot.

In a largely symbolic contest, the US President easily beat two long-shot challengers, Minnesota’s Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who were on the ballot along with a host of little-known names. Mr Biden’s victory cemented his grasp on the Democratic nomination for a second term.

The New Hampshire race will likely not count toward amassing delegates for the presidential nomination, after Democrats in the state bucked a Biden-championed revamp of the primary calendar that placed South Carolina at the forefront of the Democratic race for the White House.

Mr Biden championed changing the rules to put South Carolina first on Feb 3, arguing that Black Democrats, the party’s most reliable base of support. needed to play a larger, earlier role.

But, in 2020, Mr Biden also won South Carolina’s primary, reviving his campaign after a blowout loss in New Hampshire, whose electorate is whiter and older than the rest of the nation.

New Hampshire Democrats rebelled against the new plan and pushed ahead with a primary on Tuesday, alongside the state’s Republicans. The Democratic National Committee has said that the contest won’t award delegates that ultimately select the nominee as a result of the rules violation.

While Mr Biden shunned the primary as a result, allies organised hundreds of volunteers and received help from a super PAC to spread the word that voters could still write in his name.

Mr Biden called the vote “a historic demonstration of commitment to our democratic process.”

He went on to appeal to independent and anti-trump Republicans “who share our commitment to core values of our nation – our Democracy, our personal freedoms, an economy that gives everyone a fair shot – to join us as Americans” and back his campaign.