Photos and Text by Eric M. Appleman.
Copyright © 2024  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.








Primary Week

  • Jan. 17, 2024 - Marianne Williamson at Teatotallar Cafe in Concord.

  • Jan. 18, 2024 - U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips AI discussion with Andrew Yang in Manchester.

  • Jan. 19, 2024 - Ryan Binkley makes a stop at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester.

  • Jan. 19, 2024 - Prelude in Vermin Supreme/Gov. Ron DeSantis Never Back Down Town Hall in Nashua.

  • Jan. 20, 2024 - Write-In Biden visibility on Elm Street in Manchester.

  • Jan. 20, 2024 - Activity outside the SNHU Arena in Manchester before the Trump rally.

  • Jan. 20, 2024 - U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips GOTV rally at Nashua Senior Activity Center in Nashua.

  • Jan. 21, 2024 - Former Gov. Nikki Haley GOTV rally at Exeter High School in Exeter.

  • Jan. 22, 2024 - At the center: activity at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester.

  • Jan. 22, 2024 - Round table with lesser known candidates at the Bookery in Manchester.

  • Jan. 22, 2024 - Former Gov. Nikki Haley Election Eve GOTV rally at Artisan Hotel-Tuscan Village in Salem.

  • Jan. 23, 2024 - Voting at several polling locations.

  • Jan. 23, 2024 - U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips Primary Night at Manchester Millyard in Manchester.
  • Jan. 24, 2024 - Staff from the Secretary of State's office process the returns of votes at the State House.
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Overview
One New Hampshire voter observed that the 2024 New Hampshire primary had "a different vibe" from recent primaries, and was "less competitive" and had "less excitement." Indeed the DNC sought to bypass New Hampshire, the GOP field had thinned markedly by the time of the primary, and there were no major candidate debates. Still, there were lots of TV ads (at least $77.5 million spent by Republican candidates and groups according to AdImpact), plenty of mail, and a fair number of candidate visits. Aided by relatively moderate weather on Primary Day, a record number of Granite Staters voted in the Jan. 23 primary.

A couple of late exits reshaped the GOP race in New Hampshire. Former Gov. Chris Christie, the most outspoken of the candidates in his criticism of Trump, had focused his run on New Hampshire, but he suspended his campaign on Jan. 15. On Jan. 21, Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew and endorsed Trump, further narrowing the field, and leaving Trump, former Gov. Nikki Haley, and longshot Ryan Binkley competing in the closing days. Much attention focused on whether New Hampshire's Independent voters might break for Haley (+).

On the Democratic side, an unusual situation arose where President Joe Biden, deferring to DNC rules (+), did not file to appear on the Jan. 23 ballot. Supporters mounted a write-in effort, but there was discontent among some NH Democrats about the president avoiding the Granite State. Biden's main challengers, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, hoped that a sub-par showing by Biden would shake up the race as happened to LBJ in 1968.

But there were no upsets; instead the results served to confirm the likelihood of a Biden-Trump rematch. Former President Donald Trump won by a double-digit margin over former Gov. Nikki Haley, 54.3% to 43.2% of 325,427 votes tallied, leading many pundits to declare the Republican contest effectively over. President Joe Biden, although not on the ballot, benefited from a write-in effort and won decisively, garnering about 63.9% of the 125,811 votes tallied, followed by U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips at 19.6% and Marianne Williamson 4%.

Note: The NH presidential primary typically draws many longshots. A total of 45 candidates (21D, 24R) filed during the filing period which was Wed. Oct 11 through Fri. Oct. 27, 2023. [By comparison, 50 candidates filed (33D,17R) for the 2020 NH primary and 58 candidates (28D, 30R) filed the 2016 NH primary].



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