New Hampshire Secretary of State to Announce Dem Primary Date Amid DNC Battle

New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan is scheduled to announce the date of the Granite State primary on Wednesday at 2 p.m. amid an ongoing battle with the Democratic National Convention over its previous first-in-the-nation status.

"I’m going to say a few things about why the New Hampshire primary is important to hold the lead-off position, and then I’ll announce the date," Scanlan told Fox News Digital on Tuesday at the State House in Concord.

Many expect Scanlan to announce Jan. 23, 2024, as the date for New Hampshire's primary, putting it out of compliance with the Democratic presidential nominating calendar since it is outside of the window they designated for primary scheduling. If the January date is chosen, the primary will happen eight days after the Iowa Caucus, but ahead of the South Carolina Primary.

"I'm just assuming we're going to be in noncompliance with the Democratic National Committee," Scanlan told Fox News in September. But he said that the DNC is "not going to affect what we do in New Hampshire at all." 

The state has a tradition of being first-in-the-nation for the primaries.

Late last year, the Democratic National Committee approved a proposal backed by President Biden to make the South Carolina Primary the first in the election cycle.

The DNC has said that anyone who runs in a New Hampshire Democratic Primary will not be awarded delegates based on the results.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, has been critical of the DNC's effort to change the calendar and upend the state's tradition.

"Joe Biden has completely screwed this up for himself and for the Democrats," Sununu said in a Fox News interview in September. "We’re going first, no matter what."

Sununu is also expected to attend and deliver remarks at Scanlan's announcement Wednesday afternoon.