New Hampshire primary: How did Joe Biden win despite not being on the ballot?

Enough voters wrote his name on their ballot papers, saving him the embarrassment of losing to Dean Phillips, a Democratic congressman.

Mr Biden skipped the primary because New Hampshire refused to move its vote, as ordered to by the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

South Carolina is officially first to vote in the primary race, next month.

The DNC decided to pick South Carolina as the first state to vote, because it said the southern state’s diverse population was more reflective of the country. Both New Hampshire and Iowa, where the first Republican contest was held, have a higher percentage of white people than the average US state.

New Hampshire argued it would not move its primary, because it was bound by its state constitution to be first.

The DNC then stripped the state of its 24 delegates and Mr Biden did not register as a candidate, nor did he campaign in the state. Voting in primaries decides the number of delegates that in turn select the party’s nominee at the national convention in August.

As the stand-off between New Hampshire and the national party went on, Mr Biden’s supporters in the state organised a campaign for voters to put his name on the ballot, known as a write-in.

With 94% of votes in on Wednesday, Mr Biden had won 53% of the vote, far ahead of Mr Phillips on 19%.

Marianne Williamson, 71, an author and motivational speaker, garnered 4% of the vote, according to partial returns.

Who is Dean Phillips?
With Mr Biden off the official ballot, Mr Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, sought to cut into his lead.

Despite losing to the president in a landslide, Mr Phillips vowed to continue his campaign.

“I’m just afraid that Democrats are sleepwalking into disaster,” the 55-year-old told the BBC. “We did it in 2016. It is unforgivable and shameful to do the same thing knowingly this year.”

A moderate, Mr Phillips came to office in 2019. As the heir to his stepfather’s Phillips Distilling Company empire, which owns major schnapps and liquor brands, he is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. He spent more than $5m on ads in the state, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact. Mr Biden spent $156,000.

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