Did Biden blunder with New Hampshire primary snub?

MANCHESTER, United States: With all eyes on Donald Trump´s bid to lead Republicans back into the White House, Joe Biden´s reelection push has slipped under the radar in an unusual start to his campaign.

After a dispute with officials in New Hampshire over scheduling, he will not be on the ballot when the state´s primary kicks off the party´s nomination process on Tuesday.

The quarrel threatens to leave the president in a theoretical third place among Democrat candidates, behind little-known gelato magnate Dean Phillips and low-polling self-help author Marianne Williamson.

“He is taking the Granite State for granted... He should be campaigning in New Hampshire, he should be showing up in front of voters,” Phillips said at a debate with Williamson that Biden skipped.

“He should be on the ballot in New Hampshire, for goodness´ sake. He´s the president.”

Biden lost badly in overwhelmingly white New Hampshire in his bid for the Democratic nomination in 2020 and was only rescued by strong support from African Americans in the South Carolina primary.

Once he was elected he effectively dethroned New Hampshire, along with fellow early nominating state Iowa, instructing the party leadership to place South Carolina ahead of both.

Iowa caved quietly but the move angered Democrats in New Hampshire, where first-in-the-nation status is a sacred cow, and the Republicans who control the state government in Concord ignored the directive in any case.

The Democratic National Committee responded by refusing to seat the state´s delegates at the summer nominating convention in Chicago -- essentially denying New Hampshire its say.

Many grassroots Democrats worry that even though Biden is not on the ballot, his performance against Phillips and Williamson will be judged as a measure of his popularity.

So, despite their anger over Biden´s snub, local activists have determined to ensure his supporters know they can write his name on the ballot.