New Hampshire Primary: Joe Biden Wins The Primary As A Write-In Candidate

Despite not being on the ballot, US President Joe Biden won the New Hampshire Democratic primary on Tuesday night, thanks to his supporters who wrote his name in.

The 81-year-old president had a comfortable lead over his closest rival, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who got 20% of the vote, with more than 25% of the expected Democratic vote counted.

Marianne Williamson, a self-help guru, came in third with 5% of the vote.

Biden did not register for the New Hampshire primary ballot after a scheduling conflict between the Democratic National Committee and the state authorities.

Winning write-in campaigns is extremely challenging

Write-in campaigns are rare and difficult in American politics. They require a high level of organization, and awareness among the voters. Only two senators have ever won a general election as write-in candidates: Strom Thurmond in 1954 and Lisa Murkowski in 2010. Both of them had lost their party primaries and faced weak opponents in the general election.

Biden’s situation is different. He is the incumbent president and the leader of his party. He does not have to worry about losing his party’s nomination, as he is virtually assured of winning enough delegates in other states.

Write-in Biden

The DNC wanted to move the first-in-the-nation primary to Feb. 3 in South Carolina, but New Hampshire did not agree, as its law requires it to hold its primary at least a week before any other state. To make up for Biden’s absence, state Democratic leaders launched the ‘Write-in Biden’ campaign, which deployed volunteers at polling stations, put up banners and mailed flyers to guide New Hampshire Democrats on what to do on primary day.

Veteran Democratic strategists were worried that Biden’s lack of presence on the ballot could result in a repeat of the 1968 primary, when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson also did not appear on the ballot and decided not to run for another term after a close win over Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-Minn.)

Even though Biden’s absence probably lowered his voter turnout, Tuesday’s outcome was a big improvement from four years ago, when he finished fifth with about 8% of the vote.

Biden’s victory likely spells doom for Phillips, who admitted last week he had spent $5 million of his own money on his campaign. The Minnesota congressman’s main claim has been that the 81-year-old president is too old for office and lacks the support to beat GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.