It's before dawn, and the 1st votes of the New Hampshire primary have already been cast
From CNN's Eva McKend and Jack Forrest
Dixville Town Moderator Tom Tillotson puts a ballot into the ballot box just after midnight on January 23, in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Scott Eisen/Getty Images
“A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley said in a statement reacting to the vote minutes after it was recorded. “Thank you Dixville Notch!”
The tiny town in northern New Hampshire opened and closed its poll just after midnight ET on the morning of the state’s primary. Four registered Republican voters and two independents participated in the vote, in which former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, failed to earn support.
About Dixville Notch: In New Hampshire’s northern tip, Dixville Notch is the first place to declare primary results because voters there cast ballots so early. Its midnight voting tradition dates back to 1960.
While the neighboring cities of Hart’s Location and Millsfield began midnight voting earlier than that, they haven’t participated continuously and aren’t conducting midnight voting this year. A fictionalized version of the three neighbors was featured in an episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “West Wing” dubbed “Hartsfield’s Landing.”
Midnight voting in Dixville Notch has historically been held at the now-dormant Balsams Hotel, which has become a media event over the years.
15 min ago
Here's a look at how many GOP delegates are at stake in every primary contest
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf, Amy O'Kruk and Ethan Cohen
While the primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire can be critical for giving candidates early momentum — those two states represent a small number of delegates.
It’s not until Super Tuesday on March 5, seven weeks after the first Americans pick a candidate in Iowa, that a consequentially large number of Republican delegates is at stake.
Whoever wins the GOP nomination needs to win at least 1,215 out of 2,429 delegates awarded as part of the primary process.
In 13 primaries and three caucuses, 874 delegates, 36% of the Republican total, will be up for grabs, including in California, the state with the most Republican delegates. But we still aren’t even halfway through the primaries.
Here are some key moments and dramatic upsets from past New Hampshire primary elections
From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders takes the stage during a primary night event on February 11, 2020 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The history of the New Hampshire primary goes back decades. The first one was held in 1916, although there are some records indicating an informal, unofficial Republican primary was held four years earlier in 1912.
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status began in 1920. The modern era of the state's races began in 1952 when voters cast ballots directly for a presidential candidate. In previous years, voters generally elected unpledged delegates.
Here are some key moments throughout history:
2020, Democratic: Amid a historically crowded field, Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire for the second cycle in a row, but with less than 26% of the vote, the smallest vote share for a Democratic winner in modern times.
2016, Republican: Donald Trump rebounded from a second-place finish in Iowa to win the New Hampshire primary by almost 20 points. The big surprise of the night was Gov. John Kasich, who surged to finish second.
1980, Republican: Ronald Reagan rebounded from his Iowa loss to win a solid victory in New Hampshire. Days before the primary, the Reagan campaign secretly invited other candidates to participate in a Nashua debate which George H.W. Bush had been led to believe would be a one-on-one contest. Bush, who refused to allow the others to participate, appeared elitist and uncomfortable.
1972, Democratic: Responding to attacks against his wife in the Manchester Union Leader, front-runner Ed Muskie denounced publisher William Loeb outside of the paper’s offices in the midst of a heavy snowstorm. Muskie appeared to lose his composure and cry during the speech. His campaign never recovered.
1952, Republican: Remaining at his Paris military post, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower defeated Senate GOP leader Robert Taft without personally campaigning in New Hampshire.
1952, Democratic: In a huge upset, Estes Kefauver, a Tennessee senator, defeated President Harry Truman by almost 4,000 votes out of 36,000 cast. Truman announced less than three weeks later he would not seek re-election.
15 min ago
Most polls start to close in New Hampshire at 7 p.m. ET. Here are key things to know about the primary
From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English
New Hampshire is holding its first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday and GOP candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are facing off at the ballot box for a second time in the 2024 cycle following last week's Iowa caucuses.
Here are key things to know about Tuesday's contest:
Who can vote? New Hampshire has a semi-open election, meaning registered party members may only vote in their own party’s primary. Independents may vote in either primary. Unregistered voters may register on Election Day for either contest.
When do the polls close? Poll closing times vary throughout the state. Most close at 7 p.m. ET, but others close slightly later at 7:30 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET.
Delegates at stake:
Republican: 22
Democrat: 10, but they don't currently have a compliant plan to allocate them. It comes after the Democratic National Committee told state Democrats that no delegates would be awarded based on their primary because it is non-compliant with the DNC’s revamped nominating calendar, which was announced nearly a year ago.
Remember: Both parties hold conventions in the summer where delegates technically select the nominee. The process and rules are different for each party, but the primaries are about winning enough delegates to secure the nomination.
The political landscape: Democrats typically run well in the towns along the Vermont border, including Hanover — home to Dartmouth — as well as in much of the southwestern part of the state. Democrats also have success around the state capital of Concord and in the Portsmouth area on the seacoast. Republicans perform well east of Manchester down to the Massachusetts border, where many of the towns function as outer suburbs of Boston. They also have success along the southern border in the western part of the state, as well as in much of the state north of Concord.
16 min ago
Why New Hampshire Democrats and Biden have a lot riding on the low-key write-in campaign in the state
From CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere
Attendees hold signs during a Write-In Joe Biden campaign "Get Out The Vote" event in Dover, New Hampshire, on Sunday. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Joe Biden supporters would rather he win Tuesday’s Democratic primary in New Hampshire. State Democratic leaders want that too. But the trick for everyone involved has been figuring out how to make that happen since the president’s name doesn’t appear on the ballot.
That’s left the state’s Democratic establishment trying to spread the word about an unofficial campaign to write in Biden’s name – but not spread it so loudly that they risk embarrassing the president, and themselves, if someone else – like Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips – wins.
Biden did not register for the New Hampshire ballot following an internal party dispute over the date of the primary and the Democratic National Committee’s decision that the election effectively won’t count. Still, the fear is that not winning here would feed the narrative that he is weak heading into the general election. And state Democratic leaders want to avoid a win by a newcomer that could undermine their case to the DNC that their first-in-the-nation primary should be reinstated in 2028.
The deliberately low-key effort has so far been mostly about setting up signs, hosting Zoom calls and a few house parties, like one earlier this month when a state representative’s 60th birthday party doubled as an organizing event. Hundreds of people have now trained on how to stand outside polling places on primary day and explain to voters how and why to write in Biden’s name.
Today’s pivotal primary: Donald Trump and his sole remaining GOP challenger Nikki Haley are facing off in New Hampshire’s 2024 primary as voters head to the polls to select a Republican nominee to take on President Joe Biden in November.
Trump and Haley showdown: Trump is seeking to deliver a knockout blow to Haley in the state and achieve another strong victory after his win in the Iowa caucuses to accelerate his march to the GOP nomination. Polls show Trump’s lead over Haley has widened to double digits in New Hampshire, but he faces a tougher race against her there as it remains to be seen who independent voters will back.
Biden is a write-in candidate: Biden, an incumbent who is all but guaranteed to be his party’s nominee, won’t appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot following an internal party dispute over the primary's date. National Democrats made South Carolina the first official state on its nominating calendar, but New Hampshire's party chose to stick with Tuesday's state-run primary. No delegates will be awarded from the contest. Still, there is a campaign in the state to write in Biden’s name.
Dixville Town Moderator Tom Tillotson puts a ballot into the ballot box just after midnight on January 23, in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Scott Eisen/Getty Images
“A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley said in a statement reacting to the vote minutes after it was recorded. “Thank you Dixville Notch!”
The tiny town in northern New Hampshire opened and closed its poll just after midnight ET on the morning of the state’s primary. Four registered Republican voters and two independents participated in the vote, in which former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, failed to earn support.
About Dixville Notch: In New Hampshire’s northern tip, Dixville Notch is the first place to declare primary results because voters there cast ballots so early. Its midnight voting tradition dates back to 1960.
While the neighboring cities of Hart’s Location and Millsfield began midnight voting earlier than that, they haven’t participated continuously and aren’t conducting midnight voting this year. A fictionalized version of the three neighbors was featured in an episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “West Wing” dubbed “Hartsfield’s Landing.”
Midnight voting in Dixville Notch has historically been held at the now-dormant Balsams Hotel, which has become a media event over the years.
While the primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire can be critical for giving candidates early momentum — those two states represent a small number of delegates.
It’s not until Super Tuesday on March 5, seven weeks after the first Americans pick a candidate in Iowa, that a consequentially large number of Republican delegates is at stake.
Whoever wins the GOP nomination needs to win at least 1,215 out of 2,429 delegates awarded as part of the primary process.
In 13 primaries and three caucuses, 874 delegates, 36% of the Republican total, will be up for grabs, including in California, the state with the most Republican delegates. But we still aren’t even halfway through the primaries.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders takes the stage during a primary night event on February 11, 2020 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The history of the New Hampshire primary goes back decades. The first one was held in 1916, although there are some records indicating an informal, unofficial Republican primary was held four years earlier in 1912.
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status began in 1920. The modern era of the state's races began in 1952 when voters cast ballots directly for a presidential candidate. In previous years, voters generally elected unpledged delegates.
Here are some key moments throughout history:
2020, Democratic: Amid a historically crowded field, Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire for the second cycle in a row, but with less than 26% of the vote, the smallest vote share for a Democratic winner in modern times.
2016, Republican: Donald Trump rebounded from a second-place finish in Iowa to win the New Hampshire primary by almost 20 points. The big surprise of the night was Gov. John Kasich, who surged to finish second.
1980, Republican: Ronald Reagan rebounded from his Iowa loss to win a solid victory in New Hampshire. Days before the primary, the Reagan campaign secretly invited other candidates to participate in a Nashua debate which George H.W. Bush had been led to believe would be a one-on-one contest. Bush, who refused to allow the others to participate, appeared elitist and uncomfortable.
1972, Democratic: Responding to attacks against his wife in the Manchester Union Leader, front-runner Ed Muskie denounced publisher William Loeb outside of the paper’s offices in the midst of a heavy snowstorm. Muskie appeared to lose his composure and cry during the speech. His campaign never recovered.
1952, Republican: Remaining at his Paris military post, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower defeated Senate GOP leader Robert Taft without personally campaigning in New Hampshire.
1952, Democratic: In a huge upset, Estes Kefauver, a Tennessee senator, defeated President Harry Truman by almost 4,000 votes out of 36,000 cast. Truman announced less than three weeks later he would not seek re-election.
New Hampshire is holding its first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday and GOP candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are facing off at the ballot box for a second time in the 2024 cycle following last week's Iowa caucuses.
Here are key things to know about Tuesday's contest:
Who can vote? New Hampshire has a semi-open election, meaning registered party members may only vote in their own party’s primary. Independents may vote in either primary. Unregistered voters may register on Election Day for either contest.
When do the polls close? Poll closing times vary throughout the state. Most close at 7 p.m. ET, but others close slightly later at 7:30 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET.
Delegates at stake:
Republican: 22
Democrat: 10, but they don't currently have a compliant plan to allocate them. It comes after the Democratic National Committee told state Democrats that no delegates would be awarded based on their primary because it is non-compliant with the DNC’s revamped nominating calendar, which was announced nearly a year ago.
Remember: Both parties hold conventions in the summer where delegates technically select the nominee. The process and rules are different for each party, but the primaries are about winning enough delegates to secure the nomination.
The political landscape: Democrats typically run well in the towns along the Vermont border, including Hanover — home to Dartmouth — as well as in much of the southwestern part of the state. Democrats also have success around the state capital of Concord and in the Portsmouth area on the seacoast. Republicans perform well east of Manchester down to the Massachusetts border, where many of the towns function as outer suburbs of Boston. They also have success along the southern border in the western part of the state, as well as in much of the state north of Concord.
Attendees hold signs during a Write-In Joe Biden campaign "Get Out The Vote" event in Dover, New Hampshire, on Sunday. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Joe Biden supporters would rather he win Tuesday’s Democratic primary in New Hampshire. State Democratic leaders want that too. But the trick for everyone involved has been figuring out how to make that happen since the president’s name doesn’t appear on the ballot.
That’s left the state’s Democratic establishment trying to spread the word about an unofficial campaign to write in Biden’s name – but not spread it so loudly that they risk embarrassing the president, and themselves, if someone else – like Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips – wins.
Biden did not register for the New Hampshire ballot following an internal party dispute over the date of the primary and the Democratic National Committee’s decision that the election effectively won’t count. Still, the fear is that not winning here would feed the narrative that he is weak heading into the general election. And state Democratic leaders want to avoid a win by a newcomer that could undermine their case to the DNC that their first-in-the-nation primary should be reinstated in 2028.
The deliberately low-key effort has so far been mostly about setting up signs, hosting Zoom calls and a few house parties, like one earlier this month when a state representative’s 60th birthday party doubled as an organizing event. Hundreds of people have now trained on how to stand outside polling places on primary day and explain to voters how and why to write in Biden’s name.
