New Hampshire's unusual primary

Also: Cape Cod prisoners hit the books; a historic Women's Beanpot [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 23, 2024 ☁️ Clouds, with a chance of snow late tonight and a high near 36. Good Morning Boston, Voting is underway in the nation's first presidential primary in New Hampshire, and Nikki Haley is [off to a small, early lead]( thanks to the ([not necessarily predictive]( residents of Dixville Notch. Every primary is unique, but this one has been especially weird. If you're a New Hampshire resident, make sure to [read NHPR's voting guide]( before heading to the polls. If you're reading this from outside the Granite State, here are three things to watch for today: - Can Haley make it a race? The polls have been hard to ignore. Across the country, they've shown former president Donald Trump leading the Republican primary race by a wide margin, despite [his 91 criminal indictments](. But in New Hampshire, the race has tightened — at least, relatively. [FiveThirtyEight's average of recent polls]( Trump with 52% support, compared to 37% for Haley, the [final GOP alternative](. (New Hampshire's 22 delegates are [awarded based on each candidate's share of the statewide vote]( and Trump has a 20-8 lead from Iowa.) - Haley will probably need help from independent and Democratic voters pulling GOP primary ballots, [as WBUR's Anthony Brooks reports](. (Independent voters can choose to vote in either primary, but [the deadline]( for registered Democrats to switch parties has passed.) - Even if Haley pulls off the improbable in New Hampshire, primary experts say the math remains an "[uphill slog]( for her in the states that vote next. That includes Haley's home state of South Carolina, where Trump's polling lead is [more than twice as large](. - Further reading: [As Republican primary narrows, N.H. voters face down deep party divides]( - Biden vs. expectations: New Hampshire will be the first test of incumbent President Joe Biden's strength. However, he's not on the ballot; he's [ignoring New Hampshire's primary]( after New Hampshire [ignored his effort]( to overhaul the Democratic primary calendar. Still, there's [a locally led write-in campaign]( in support of the president. - [Recent polls]( have shown Biden with a commanding lead over his main challengers, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, with anywhere between 49% and 69% support. However, his support is lower when pollsters don't proactively offer the president's name in the survey. In a memo last week, the pro-Biden write-in campaign — perhaps trying to lower expectations — said those polls "more closely resemble the situation Granite Staters will face in the voting booth." - It's also worth noting that the Democratic National Committee [says it won't award any delegates based on the outcome of New Hampshire's primary]( which it has called "[meaningless]( - Further reading: [The New Hampshire primary is a little unusual for Democrats this year]( - Wait Wait...: You may have to stay up a little later for the results for Democrats. Normally, the results for both parties are reported together. But given the number of Biden write-in votes expected, New Hampshire officials are letting cities and towns announce Republican results this year before the Democratic tally is finished. - Further reading: [Bracing for a wave of write-ins and other potential curveballs, N.H. poll workers prep for primary day]( - South of the border: Massachusetts' State Ballot Law Commission has decided that it doesn't have the authority to remove Trump from the state's March 5 primary ballot. However, the story might not be over yet. Shannon Liss-Riordan, one of the lawyers behind [the two challenges to Trump's eligibility]( told WBUR's Josie Guarino they plan to appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court: "There's not much time to waste here so we are going straight to the SJC to get this incredibly important issue resolved by the state's highest court." - Day three: Newton public schools are [closed for a third straight school day]( due to the ongoing teachers strike in the city. That means all school-related activities and events are postponed as well. - Her-story: For the first time ever tonight, the [Women's Beanpot title game]( will be played at TD Garden. (Previously, the women played at the much-smaller Conte Forum on Boston College's campus.) - The puck drops between Boston University and Northeastern at 8 p.m. You [can still get general admission tickets]( for a cool $25. P.S.— After the primary polls close tonight in New Hampshire, we'll be teaming up with NHPR to [bring you on-the-ground updates]( as they unfold in real time. [Tune in to 90.9 to listen]( to the simulcast and keep tabs on [wbur.org]( for the results, including [this town-by-town map](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown ['A way to escaping': Cape Cod prisoners hit the books in jail library]( Falmouth's acting library director is volunteering to reorganize the library in the Barnstable County jail, which fell into neglect during the pandemic, when the jail lost its librarian. [Read more.]( ['A way to escaping': Cape Cod prisoners hit the books in jail library]( Falmouth's acting library director is volunteering to reorganize the library in the Barnstable County jail, which fell into neglect during the pandemic, when the jail lost its librarian. [Read more.]( [Business owners thought they would never reopen after Maine's deadliest shooting. Then support grew]( Immediately after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, the owners of the bowling alley and the bar in Lewiston where the gunman killed a total of 18 people were certain their doors were closed for good. Yet as time passed following the Oct. 25 shooting, they came to the same conclusion. They had to reopen. [Read more.]( [Business owners thought they would never reopen after Maine's deadliest shooting. Then support grew]( Immediately after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, the owners of the bowling alley and the bar in Lewiston where the gunman killed a total of 18 people were certain their doors were closed for good. Yet as time passed following the Oct. 25 shooting, they came to the same conclusion. They had to reopen. [Read more.]( [R.I. transportation officials say key bridge may need to be completely demolished]( State transportation officials said Monday that repairs to a critical Rhode Island bridge that was partially shut down over safety concerns last month could include the demolition of the span. [Read more.]( [R.I. transportation officials say key bridge may need to be completely demolished]( State transportation officials said Monday that repairs to a critical Rhode Island bridge that was partially shut down over safety concerns last month could include the demolition of the span. [Read more.]( [Defense attorneys argue against open hearings in Cambridge sex-ring case]( They argued the 28 people accused "are entitled to privacy at this early stage in the proceedings, and public hearings should remain the exception rather than the rule." [Read more.]( [Defense attorneys argue against open hearings in Cambridge sex-ring case]( They argued the 28 people accused "are entitled to privacy at this early stage in the proceedings, and public hearings should remain the exception rather than the rule." [Read more.]( [23 lost skiers and snowboarders rescued in frigid temperatures in Killington, Vt.]( Police say 23 skiers and snowboarders had to be rescued in frigid temperatures on Saturday after becoming lost in the back country in Killington, Vermont. [Read more.]( [23 lost skiers and snowboarders rescued in frigid temperatures in Killington, Vt.]( Police say 23 skiers and snowboarders had to be rescued in frigid temperatures on Saturday after becoming lost in the back country in Killington, Vermont. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - President Biden may disagree, but former campaign staffer Laura Tamman argues in [this Cognoscenti commentary]( that New Hampshire should keep going first on the presidential primary calendar. - What do campaign ads tell us about the state of the 2024 election? You've surely seen your fair share of them on Boston-based TV stations. [Check out these takeaways]( from the GOP attack ad battle to Dean Phillips' deep pockets to Biden's questionable strategy. - Alice Childress’ play "Trouble in Mind" — now playing at the Lyric Stage Company through Feb. 4 — highlights the racism, sexism and stereotypes that existed in American theater in the 1950s. Critic Jacquinn Sinclair [reviews the show here](. - Malarkey, indeed: New Hampshire is [investigating robocalls]( that appear to use a voice artificially crafted to sound like President Biden telling voters not to cast their ballot in the state’s primary today.  What We're Reading 📚 - They were arrested at a pro-Palestinian sit-in. Now, three UMass students aren’t allowed to study abroad. ([The Boston Globe]( - What we learned from months on the ground before New Hampshire’s primary ([NBC News]( - ‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [Dorchester couple to make prime time debut on HGTV renovation show]( Dorchester couple David and Stephen St. Russell— known as the “Renovation Husbands”— will be featured in HGTV’s newest show “Battle on the Mountain.” The show aired on Monday night. [Read more.]( [Dorchester couple to make prime time debut on HGTV renovation show]( Dorchester couple David and Stephen St. Russell— known as the “Renovation Husbands”— will be featured in HGTV’s newest show “Battle on the Mountain.” The show aired on Monday night. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at [the factors driving some Black churches out of Boston](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: It's-a me, [the North End's best plumber.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. 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