Robert Kennedy Jr., a long-shot Democratic challenger to President Joe Biden, predicted that the president would not compete in the Iowa or New Hampshire primaries.
Kennedy suggested that Biden would wait for an even safer primary, such as in South Carolina, where his victory in 2020 was seen as pivotal for his securing the nomination.
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“I think that President Biden is not going to even put his name in Iowa and New Hampshire. So I think he’s not even going to compete,” Kennedy told Michael Smerconish on SiriusXM.
“I think that he has never done well in New Hampshire, and I think he came in fifth in New Hampshire the last time. So I think that he did not want to compete in New Hampshire, and he wants to go to a state where they … can control the results more,” he added.
Biden finished fifth in New Hampshire and placed fourth in the Iowa caucuses in 2020.
New Hampshire is normally the first state to host both primaries, but moves by the president and the Democratic National Committee earlier this year shook up the 2024 Democratic primary season. One change included moving New Hampshire from its coveted first slot down to a joint second slot with Nevada. South Carolina, where Biden finished first, was moved to the first slot. Iowa was moved out of the first round of primaries.
Despite the rearrangement from the DNC and Biden, New Hampshire has held fast to its claim of being first in both primaries, partly due to a state law that dates back to the 1970s, which requires the state to go first in the presidential primaries by one week.
Kennedy told Smerconish that his path to victory was through the primaries, meaning he would still run in New Hampshire and Iowa.
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“My path through the Democratic primary system, I have to win the primaries,” Kennedy said.
No date for the New Hampshire Democratic primary has been set, but the Republican primary is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2024. The presidential election will be held on Nov. 5, 2024.
