New Hampshire lawmakers are skipping Biden’s support for moving the state’s elementary school

Two New Hampshire lawmakers are boycotting the White House convention ball on Monday over a plan backed by President Biden that would push back the Granite State’s Democratic presidential primary by a few days.

Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan will be absent from the celebratory annual event at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave after expressing anger at the primary restructuring proposal, which the 80-year-old president says encourages more diversity in the nomination process becomes.

“As Senator Shaheen said, the President’s proposal unnecessarily leaves Democrats in New Hampshire vulnerable from top to bottom in 2024,” a Shaheen spokeswoman told The Hill.

“This didn’t have to be a mutually exclusive decision — he could have advanced a more diverse state at an earlier point while also retaining New Hampshire as the primary primary. Instead, New Hampshire Republicans got the political fodder they’ve been waiting for to target Democrats and dissuade independents from supporting Democrats in key local, state and federal elections,” the spokeswoman added.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee voted last week to make South Carolina the first state to cast ballots in the Democratic nominating contest in 2024, replacing Iowa as the first state.

Under the new rule, the Palmetto State would hold its primary on February 3, 2024. Nevada and New Hampshire will hold their primary elections three days later, followed by Georgia on February 13 and Michigan on February 27.

Hassan, also skipping the ball, has called the Biden-backed plan “deeply misguided.”

“I strongly oppose the President’s deeply misguided proposal for changes to the primary calendar. Make no mistake, New Hampshire law is clear and our elementary school will continue to be first in the nation.” wrote Hasan last week on Twitter.

“Because of our state’s small size, candidates from all walks of life — not just those with the largest war chests — can compete and participate in the unique retail policies that are a hallmark of our state. This ensures that candidates are battle-hardened and ready to run for our nation’s highest office,” Hassan continued.

“We will always hold the First in the Nation Primary, and that status is independent of the proposal of the President or any political organization,” she added.

The Post has reached out to Shaheen and Hassan’s offices for comment.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the plan Monday despite the uproar it’s caused in states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

“For him, respecting our diversity as a nation and breaking down barriers for our people is a fundamental principle,” she said.

Jean-Pierre added that the President “makes sure we see the diversity within his administration, which is clearly represented across the country, and he wants to honor those values.”

In a letter to the DNC last week, Biden said primary election results in small states like New Hampshire had “marginalized” candidates before they had a chance to appeal to a more diverse group of voters.

“Too often over the past fifty years, candidates have dropped out or had their candidatures sidelined by the press and pundits because of poor performance in small states early in the process before voters of color could cast a ballot,” Biden wrote.