New Hampshire Democrat delivers ominous message to Biden about how the state has been treated – Washington Examiner

Former state House Speaker Steve Shurtleff (D-NH) said he forgives President Joe Biden for neglecting New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status but won’t forget ahead of his Monday visit to the state.

“I forgive, but I haven’t forgotten how New Hampshire was treated,” Shurtleff told Fox News on Monday. 

The Democratic National Committee decided to remove New Hampshire’s century-old tradition of being the first presidential primary after Biden made it clear he wanted South Carolina Democrats to lead the way after their help in securing his presidency in 2020. He did not campaign in the Granite State, and his name did not appear on the Jan. 23 primary ballot. The move was a sting to New Hampshire Democrats such as Shurtleff, who had been a longtime Biden supporter before he upended the state’s lead in the primaries. 

Shurtleff, who had worked on two of the president’s campaigns, endorsed Biden-challenger Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) for the Democratic presidential nominee before the congressman dropped out of the race last week. Shurtleff told the Concord Monitor that “90%” of the reason he wasn’t supporting Biden’s reelection was because of the way he brushed off New Hampshire in the primaries.

However, since Phillips has bowed out of the race, he said Trump’s candidacy worries him enough that he could vote for the president in November despite splitting from supporting Biden last year.  

“We’ve got to move on, and we’ve got an election coming up, and I’m concerned about the Trump candidacy, so I’ll most likely be voting for Joe Biden,” Shurtleff said. “In a comparison between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, it scares me to think what would happen to our country under another Trump presidency.”      

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Shurtleff’s comments come just as Biden is set to campaign in a string of battleground states, including New Hampshire on Monday after his last visit two years ago. The move could be the president’s effort to remedy the relationship with state Democrats following the primary drama earlier this year.

Biden nevertheless won the state’s primary due to a successful write-in effort, though some members of his progressive base are wary about the president’s reelection prospects, telling the outlet that he is the “weaker candidate” and that Trump will make the state competitive ahead of November’s election. 

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