New Hampshire Democrats Support Biden but Have Concerns About Age

New Hampshire Democrats will write in President Joe Biden's name in the 2024 presidential primary even if his name is not on the ballot, according to a UNH/CNN poll released Friday.

A dispute between the national Democratic party, which has scheduled South Carolina as the first primary, and the state has not been fully resolved. The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee extended the deadline for New Hampshire to comply to Oct. 14. The national  committee told the state committee to have the state law requiring New Hampshire's primary to be changed first.

The state party committee said that in a Republican-controlled legislature and a GOP governor, that is an impossibility.

New Hampshire has not yet set the primary dates, but Secretary of State David Scanlan has said he will not follow the DNC's calendar. Candidates who campaign in New Hampshire could face sanctions and penalties, meaning Biden will likely not be on the ballot.

In the CNN New Hampshire Primary Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 68% of likely primary voters will vote for Biden, followed by 9% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and 6% supporting author Marianne Williamson.

"The idea that RFK, Jr., or Marianne Williamson, would be viewed as competitive alternatives to Biden in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary has never posed a legitimate threat to his nomination," said Southern New Hampshire University Civic Scholar and founder of NH Political Capital Dean Spiliotes.

The support for Biden among Democrats is offset by their concern that 80-year-old Biden is not mentally and physically able to fulfill the duties of president.

52% believe he is not capable while 46% believe he is capable. 61% do not think he is capable of fulfilling his duties for a second term.

"The data suggest that, whatever misgivings Democratic voters may have about Biden's age, they overwhelming plan to support the incumbent president for reelection, even if that means writing in his name on the NH Primary ballot," Spiliotes said.

Biden comes out on top among Democrats in a race against Donald Trump 52%-40%, a similar margin to Biden's win over Trump in New Hampshire in 2020.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via X (Twitter) @DanAlexanderNH