President Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign less than a month before the Democratic National Convention. What does that mean for New Hampshire’s Democratic delegates? Do they still have to vote for him?
Here’s what to know.
How many Democratic delegates does New Hampshire have?
Out of the 3,896 delegates nationally, New Hampshire has 24. This number comes from a Democratic bylaws formula, which is based on each state’s population and percentage of the total Democratic vote.
New Hampshire almost didn’t have any delegates this year, over a bitter feud between the state and party over New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation-primary.
Last year, the DNC announced South Carolina would be the first state to vote instead of New Hampshire, calling it an effort to have a more diverse state lead the way. New Hampshire refused to break tradition and held an unsanctioned primary (before South Carolina’s primary) where President Joe Biden’s name was absent from the ballot. But through a write-in effort led by Democrats in the state, Biden won anyways, garnering almost 64% of the vote.
Do New Hampshire’s delegates have to vote for Biden?
They do not. DNC delegates don’t technically have to vote for Biden, thanks to a “good conscience” clause in Democratic delegate selection rules.
“All delegates to the National Convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” the rules say.
When is the Democratic Party National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to run Aug. 19 to 22 in Chicago.
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Margie Cullen contributed to this report.