Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Eli | Email Lauren The letter, like any missive between longtime friends, begins with pleasantries and a good amount of flattery. But the main message sent Tuesday afternoon by top New Hampshire Democrats to President JOE BIDEN is essentially, “what the hell are you thinking?” In 933 agonized words, some of Biden’s most steadfast supporters in the state plead with him to rethink his proposal to shuffle the 2024 primary calendar by putting South Carolina at the front of the line. Biden’s gambit could become a self-inflicted political wound, former New Hampshire Gov. JOHN LYNCH wrote in the email sent to chief of staff RON KLAIN and deputy chief of staff JEN O’MALLEY DILLON. “While we share your desire to elevate more diverse voices in the process, we believe that the proposed schedule could wreak havoc on Democrats up and down the ticket in New Hampshire and unnecessarily jeopardize four critical electoral votes in your re-election campaign,” reads the letter obtained by West Wing Playbook. Signed by more than 20 New Hampshire Democrats whose support of Biden stretches back in some cases to his first 1988 run for the White House — including JOHN BRODERICK JR., the former chief justice of the state’s supreme court, DNC member BILLY SHAHEEN and LOU D’ALLESANDRO, the dean of the state Senate – the communique lays out a number of issues with the proposed calendar change. Setting aside the fact it triggers an existential crisis in a state that wears its “First In The Nation” status like a toddler who won’t shed their Halloween costume until spring, the signatories also note that Biden’s plan requires the state legislature to allow Democrats to alter their primary calendar. That, they note, is highly unlikely given that the statehouse is controlled by Republicans who are “already capitalizing on” the notion Democrats don’t prize the state’s historic role on the nominating calendar. “We are especially concerned about how this will impact your re-election,” the letter states, noting that the state’s four electoral votes, as in the 2000 contest, could make the difference in a close election. “These four votes could be the deciding factor in 2024. Unfortunately, they could now be at risk.” Biden’s plan to reshuffle the primary order of states was announced after last November’s midterm election and quickly ratified by the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. Even with a consensus among Democrats to drop Iowa from its prized position as the first nominating contest after the debacle around the 2020 caucuses, many in the party were surprised when Biden proposed such dramatic changes. Beyond moving South Carolina up, the White House wants Georgia, another state with a GOP-controlled legislature, moved into the early window. Some Democratic operatives beyond the Granite State have wondered why Biden, who does not appear likely to face a serious primary, would spend serious political capital on the issue. Though Biden, with the move, signaled his appreciation to Black voters in South Carolina and his gratitude to Rep. JAMES CLYBURN (D-S.C.), whose endorsement helped him come from behind to capture the nomination in 2020, it’s not without cost. New Hampshire isn’t the only offended party. Labor leaders, likewise, have complained that South Carolina has one of the worst union records in the country. If the move to prioritize South Carolina was an effort by Biden world to head off even a longshot primary challenge, it could actually have the opposite effect, at least in New Hampshire, the signatories assert. Should the state abide by its law to hold its primary first, the contest would be unsanctioned by the DNC — and if Biden declined to file for the primary, another candidate theoretically could. “It is safe to say that this is likely not how you would like to kick off your re-election and it would only fuel chatter that Democrats are divided and in disarray,” the New Hampshire Democrats wrote. The White House declined to comment on the letter. The DNC pointed us to a Jan. 5 memo from RBC co-chairs to the panel’s members stating they expected the process to be “difficult” for New Hampshire and Georgia but reiterating that they remain “committed to seeing out the calendar that this committee approved last month.” MESSAGE US —Are you IAN MOSKOWITZ, the New Hampshire state director for Biden's 2020 presidential campaign? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.
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